Words Like Thor's
by Xana Vlec
Summary: Words like Thor's were to be the end of him. Words like Thor's would give him hope. Hope was something he was never to have, so why did he long after it so much? Brotherly Love, nothing more.
1. The Villain

Lonesome stranger  
With a crowd around you  
I see who you are  
**-Homeless Heart by Amanda Stott**

Killing a god was nigh on impossible. That was the only reason he was still alive. The only reason he wasn't being cooped up in a cell was because Thor had stubborn refused that a god would be treated that way. Thor was an idiot.

"Don't you know what they call me?" Loki had asked. "A homicidal maniac. A deranged lunatic. A demon that takes the form of a human. Are you sure it is wise for you to keep me unguarded like this? Who knows what my arbitrary desires might dictate me to do next." Each of those names had hurt him, but Thor didn't need to know that.

"Brother, you are none of those. Even if you were, which you are not, you would always be my bro-" Thor was cut off by Loki's hiss.

"Don't call me by that name, Odinsson. We both know that I am not your.. **brother**, so do not prolong that foolish facade of caring for me any longer. It's disgusting." Loki was disgusting. It was only fitting that the one who had always sworn to be close to him would hate him. It would be the final ending Loki was looking for. _Hate me, hate me._

"**Brother**," Thor emphasized the name as he gave Loki a sympathetic glance. "I have never pretended to love you. You will always be my brother if not by blood then in spirit. We were raised together in the same house and by the same people. By my definition you are my brother and I shall not be dissuaded from that."

Loki trembled from all the emotion that overwhelmed him. It was not acceptance or gladness as Thor hoped, but it was anger. "That is the point!" Loki burst out angrily. "We did **not** get raised in the same household though you like to believe it! You were raised by people that **loved you**! That was something I never felt nor would I ever feel! Don't think that anything that has happened will change that! I've been trying for thousands of years now, Thor. Don't tell me that I misunderstood them!"

The words wouldn't stop coming out. Two thousand years of pain came undone as Loki began to near hysteria. "Misunderstanding would mean that ignoring me whenever I did better than you in anything was a gift? That they loved me and ignoring my existence was their way of showing it? My only purpose was **to be the one that made you look good**! Thor did better than Loki. That was my only job! To let there be someone that you could do better than!" Loki yelled angrily at his brother.

He ran a distressed hand through his hair as he tried to get himself to calm down. He wasn't like this. Loki Laufeyson was supposed to be a calm and collected man. He was supposed to be the villain in the story and be the character whose only purpose was to give the super heroes someone to defeat. He was born like that and he'd die like that. If he could die at least.

The ending always ended with the villain dying. He wanted his story to end, but he couldn't force it close! Why couldn't he just die already? "Brother, Allfather's only desire was to shield you from the attention that the other courtiers would give you if you were placed in the spotlight. You know that he hide your true heritage for your own good." Thor reached out to hold his brother only to find his hands smacked away.

"This is one of your faults, Odinsson." Loki hung his head and stared into the carpet. "You want to walk through the world making light of everyone and everything." His gaze turned up to Thor and a downcast look lit his features. "There is good and there is bad. Good cannot fight against good. There is only enough good in the world to make one side good."

If there had been a pool of goodness, Loki was sure he had drawn the short straw. He was scrawny, he was only brains and no muscle, he was a trickster, he was cruel. Thor was strong, he had a heart of gold, he was honest to a fault, and he was kind. Thor was everything he was not. It was ever so painfully obvious that Thor was the hero in this story and that he was the villain.

"Please, just give up. I am the villain and I deserve nothing more than what a villain deserves. Let them toss me in the prisons to rot. This is what I was destined to do, just give in." Thor looked at his brother despairingly.

He really thought that it was his destiny to suffer through his entire life. Thor didn't want to believe that his family had done Loki ill, but a creeping part of him knew there was no other way to look at it. Loki was being torn apart from the inside and it was all their fault. "That isn't your destiny, brother. You aren't meant to suffer. Look at me, brother."

Thor grabbed Loki's chin and forced the younger man to look up at him. "You are the smartest person I know. Considering we've all lived for two thousand years it means more than a Midgardian would believe. You are the best sorcerer I have ever met. People have trained for thousands of years longer than you and they do not meet your skill. There is much opportunity on Midgard, I have seen it. You may not want to admit it, but this world suits you more than Asgard. It is not a shame to love Midgard, my brother. I will love you either way and nothing anyone will say will change that."

Thor pulled his younger brother forward and wrapped the man in a hug. Loki struggled to get away, but soon realized it would be fruitless. "This isn't my ending... Stop trying to tell me these lies..." Loki whimpered softly.

Words like Thor's were to be the end of him. Words like Thor's would give him hope. Hope was something he was never to have, so why did he long after it so much?

**Hey all! I hope you liked this. :D I'm thinking this could be a lead in to a recovery fanfiction, but I wasn't sure what you all would think. It would also be a good place to end a one-shot so... Review and tell me what you think? (;**


	2. A Mistake

Was it something I said or just my personality?  
When you're caught in a lie and you've got nothing to hide  
When you've got nowhere to run and you've got nothing inside  
It tears right through me, you thought that you knew me  
You thought that you knew  
**-Perfect by Hedley**

That was one of the bad things about being imprisoned. You couldn't order people to leave you along. You couldn't even leave so you could escape the company of others. No matter how they dressed it up, the Avenger's mansion would always be an elaborate cell with Loki as its prisoner. Loki scratched a nail at his skin and tore off the small clumps of dead skin on the surface. Moments later, the small pink mark on his hand disappeared back into nothingness.

He was a god kept by mortal restraints, but in the end it seemed that he was still a god. He clawed again and his hand and this time drew blood that trickled down his wrist, but that too disappeared within minutes. Why? Why couldn't he just die already? The frost giants were able to die. Odin had killed his own father after all. If he was a frost giant then shouldn't Loki have been able to die as well?

Loki buried his face into his hands and bit his lip tightly. It was silly to be thinking these thoughts, that he knew, but he couldn't stop them from coming. He just wanted it to be over already. Two thousand years of pain was enough already. Was Odin laughing at him? Was Heimdall watching from his post as if Loki was some kind of entertainment? Was his suffering really that amusing? If the all-knowing Odin really knew all then why couldn't he have known of Loki's misery? He had to have known and he had to have condoned it.

Warm tears turned cold in his hands as he cried. Secretly he cursed the Asgardeans that watched him and took pleasure in this punishment. Life was more painful than death. He wanted it to be over already.

"My brother, are you awake? It is time for breakfast if you are willing." Thor's voice boomed through the thin door provided to him. Loki didn't answer. It wasn't as if they'd leave him alone anyways. After last night he didn't particularly want to talk to Thor anymore. Talking to him would make it hurt all over again because it would remind him of the things he couldn't have.

Sure enough, the doorknob twisted open and Thor stepped into the room. Loki couldn't help but notice that Thor seemed to glow as if he was basking in the heavenly radiance. Jealousy plagued Loki's heart as he looked at Thor. Hadn't humans had some sort of conflict like this a while ago? Was it not that all humans were equal whether or not they shared the same blood or the same skin? Why could it not be the same way in Asgard?

"I see you are already dressed, my brother. Come, let us go dine with the other inhabitants of this villa." Thor smiled amiably and walked over to Loki's beside and reached out a hand to help pull the other up. Loki swerved around the out-stretched hand and kept his distance away from the thunder god.

"You are not my brother, Odinsson. I thought I made that clear last night." Loki replied in a clipped tone. "But if you call me to eat then eat I must. You would not have it any other way, that I know." They obsessed over him too much to let him starve. Loki didn't doubt that they would force feed him or put an NG tube into him if it really came right down to it. Blast them and their worrying, he didn't want it.

"You may not consider me to be your brother, but I still consider you to be my brother." Thor's face softened as he gave a sad smile. It may have been meant to show compassion, but all Loki could see was a patronizing smile. "But yes, shall we go eat together?" Thor looped an arm around his brother and ignored his younger brother's struggles as he herded the man out into the hallway.

His metal wristband clicked as he was pulled out of the room. A glowing red light appeared on the side of the machine that signaled that the GPS tracker was turned on. Loki hated the thing. Not only did it give the avengers the perfect tool to stalk him with, but its primary function was to suck up his magical energy. It acted much like an arterial line, but constantly pulled out the energy before letting it dissipate into the air. The thing was a leech.

Loki stumbled in the elevator before the doors shut behind him. This was probably the one place in the entirety of the mansion where there were no cameras. Because of this, Thor would probably think it was the perfect time to have a heart to heart. "Brother, I want things to be made right between you and I. You and father as well. It pains me to see you like this." Yes, it was time for the heart to heart.

"There is nothing to be made right, Odinsson. Things are as they always have been and as they always will be. I do not see any reason to change from the status quo." Loki said flippantly as his eyes bore into the elevator. Why didn't the blasted thing move faster?

"It isn't right if you aren't happy." Thor said with a frown. "Don't deny what happened yesterday, brother. You aren't happy and I know it. Why are you so reluctant to change and let people change around you? We want what is best for you."

Loki looked up to face Thor's sad eyes before letting out a sigh. He would never get it, would he? "Odinsson, my happiness is of no consequence. I have come to terms with the fact that I am hated. I deserve to be hated. You and I both know the only reason I am not dead is because of your protection. Give up this farce already. It's prolonging things and it's painful for all parties involved."

Asgardeans all had regenerative qualities. The most notable of which was their ability to heal cuts and the second most notable was the reattachment of limbs. They did not regrow limbs like lizards because they needed to work with material that already existed. Something was never created out of nothing. Thus, the one of the only ways to kill an Asgardean was to dismember and wait for the limbs to decompose. As long as the heart and mind remained connected and as long as he had bones to continue blood production, Loki would never bleed out or die. The second of which was draining them of their entire life source. The only way for that to happen though was if the user forced the magic out or it was sucked out.

Loki wasn't particularly looking forward to being torn apart or being drained of his life energy, but he wanted it all to end already. Darkness was a luxury that only he seemed to enjoy.

"Brother," Thor's voice went cold as he stared down at his brother, "no matter what you think, I know you do not deserve to perish. Everyone can change, brother. It is not too late for you to reconcile with Asgard!"

Loki snapped. "Asgard needs to reconcile with me as well, **brother.**" Loki said mockingly. "I can't apologize to people who feel no remorse. I will not grovel on the ground just to please self-righteous creatures that do not care for the feelings of others. The gods are selfish, Odinsson. Do not deny yourself that getting them to apologize is an impossibility."

"They do with to reconcile with you!" Thor thundered. "Ever since you left Asgard we had been searching for you."

Loki cut in. "Looking for me as if I am a lost dog. It does not mean they feel as if they have wronged me. I am a tool for amusement and nothing more." Loki drooped his head and stared at the flooring. "You may feel... sorry for me, but your pity is not what I want. Even if you somehow care for a wretch like me, I can assure you Odin would never feel such sentimental things like love. Least of all, he would never feel them towards me."

"I was only taken in because Bor had cursed Odin to do so. I am not wanted. I am the seed of guilt left in Odin for letting his father die. I might not even be saved of guilt. A mistake made by a spell of a dying man is what I am." Loki whispered.

The elevator binged as they reached the bottom floor and Loki rushed out and into the hallway. He didn't know he was hurrying out. Things would be no better once he arrived.

**Due to the reception of the fic I decided to continue! I'm going to update this fanfiction on Tuesdays and Thursdays from now on at 9pm. (: Hopefully I'll see you all around! Review and tell me what you think? I'd really appreciate it. :DW**


	3. Turn Back Time

I'm sorry that it came true  
But sorry doesn't turn back time  
For all that I have done to you  
I wish that I could make it right  
**-Sorry that I loved you by Anthony Neely**

Heads turned as he stepped into the dining room. Loki calmly walked past all of the seated avengers to the far end of the long rectangular table. He dropped down into a chair and crossed his legs. He raised a brow at the sudden lull of conversation. "I know that I'm a rarity around here, but I doubt I'm awe-inducing." Loki quipped sarcastically. His mood had taken a rapid plunge ever since he had woken up that morning. If only he could sleep a never-ending sleep. That would be pleasant wouldn't it?

"Mmhmm. Whatever you say." Clint said with a roll of his eyes. Loki watched with amusement as the man violently stabbed his scrambled eggs. Obviously someone wasn't hiding his displeasure. It was reassuring in a way. One less fool like Thor to worry about. Anyone with a scrap of sense would hate him and he knew it. It was unnerving to have someone pretend to worry about him. Yes, pretend. It had to be a glitch in Thor's wiring because even the youngest of children quivered in Loki's presence. He was made of evil and the littlest babe could tell.

Each of them silently turned away and began eating once more. All conversation that had circled around the table ceased until Thor imprudently thought it was time for it to begin again. "It certainly is good fortune that the world has calmed down over these past few weeks." Thor said cheerfully. He seemed to be unperturbed by his self-pronounced brother's denial. Goodness, it seemed to give him more motivation to try and bridge the gap. Thor was so thick-headed at times.

"After one villain leaves, there will always be another to take its place soon enough." Steve replied casually before he halted awkwardly. Loki sniggered quietly. You could practically read every thought that was passing through the man's mind at the moment. _Shoot, I just referred to Loki as a villain. But he is a villain isn't he? Gahh, but I can't refer to him as that in front of his face! I can't believe I said that! _Loki shook his head slightly. It didn't take a spell to figure it all out.

A look of calm resignation passed across his features. The look startled those around the table that were just waiting for him to snap back with some cocky remark. Instead Loki shocked them all by continuing to eat his eggs. A few moments passed before Loki realized they were still looking at him. "What? Is that not the title you refer to me with? You call a weed a weed because that is what it is, not because that is what it wishes to be called. I find this is hardly different." He waved his fork to the side only to drop it back onto his plate with a clatter. An electric pulse raced up his arm from the gauntlet. The confounded thing thought the movement was a magical summoning!

Loki refused to let any emotion cross his face and instead pulled back from the table. He moved away from the half-eaten eggs and said, "I will retire to my room." As Thor moved to stand up Loki quickly said, "You needn't accompany me. You will be able to find me in any case and I don't doubt you've sit this to electrocute me if I take a step out of the house." At the startled expression that crossed Tony's face, Loki knew he was correct.

The Asgardean snorted and said, "Thought as much. I shall now leave." He walked away from the table and slipped silently out of the door. As soon as he shut the door behind him, he leaned back against the wall with a sigh.

It was so much easier to put up a brave front in front of a crowd. People act in front of audiences, when they are alone the mask falls away and all that is left is true emotion. He ran a tired hand through his hair as he crumpled down next to the wall. His mussed up hair fell forward as he clamped his eyes shut. "Thor, are you sure it's wise to keep him down here? It's not that I don't trust Stark's gear, but I don't know why you can't just keep him back in Asgard."

Loki choked as he heard the voices in the back room. Bruce's voice was surprisingly serious. Normally the man spoke softly because he was afraid of hurting the feelings of others, but now he spoke with such force. Loki almost laughed at how weak he was, responding to the words of others like this. He was reading so deep into so few words and he was actually being affected by it! Hadn't he been the one who only a day ago said that he didn't want to feel sympathy, pity, forgiveness?

" , trust me when I say that there is good in my brother. Bringing him back to Asgard too soon would be detrimental to his mental health." His mental health? Thor did think he was insane after all. Loki's fingers clawed into the carpets and tore up small tufts of fuzz with great fervor. He didn't know why he felt disappointed at this. His mind was a whirling mess and there seemed to be no hope for it to ever order itself.

He had already come to terms with the fact that he was destined to be the villain, but he had always thought that Thor would always trail after him. It was something he had come to assume over the years, but it seemed like that was false. Thor was going to leave him behind as well.

Thor was harder to hate than the rest of the Asgardeans. The two of them were far younger than most of the others and were not around when Bor had cursed Odin. Thor could not be blamed for his ignorance, but all of the others **knew**. Their thinly veiled hatred was what really tore him apart as a child. In their eyes he would only be the frost giant, but to Thor there were still all of those centuries where his only title was 'brother'.

Even though Loki had rejected Thor countless times, a part of him always expected that Thor would always side with him. He was stupid like that, but it was endearing. It seemed that even Thor's patience was coming to an end.

He let the carpet muffle his steps as he got up and left to the elevator. The elevator doors opened before him and he quietly stepped up into the elevator. The elevator clicked as it passed each floor, but all Loki heard was the sound of Thor's voice. Thor had said there was good in him, but had said he was deteriorating in the next sentence.

What good was there now? There were only two parts to him. The sniveling one of last night that refused to let go of the past and the selfish monster that wanted to see pain. If strength was what Asgard wanted then it would be what they would get. Hadn't the ones to get to Valhalla all been warriors that fought and slaughtered their foes on the battlefield? It seemed as if the only way to get any love would be to fight and fight. Kill and kill. Was that what was honorable in the eyes of Odin?

Loki didn't get it at all. He had done what all the soldiers in Valhalla did. He waged war on humanity like all of the valkyries, but he was a criminal instead. What a joke everything was. A circle of madness that excluded those it deemed to be unworthy for no reason but for the fact that it was the will of Odin. And Thor wondered why he hated Odin?

Loki exited the elevator and quickly made his way into his room. He shut the door before sliding down against it. There was no way to bolt the door, but if he leaned against it perhaps he could keep them out. He covered his ears with his hands and closed his eyes tightly. He gritted his teeth as the voices still continued.

_Loki, look at your brother. Why can't you be more like him?_

_Frost giants have long been our mortal foes. For many centuries they have been waging war against Asgard. _

_Good job, Thor. You defeated twice as many foes as Loki did. This is cause for celebration!_

_Odin, I think something is wrong with Loki. He skulks around the palace for who knows what reason. He may be up to something. _

_Loki boy, you are a frost giant. _

_You're pitiful at times. Weak and scrawny as you are, can't you at least pick up your sword and spar? I expected more __**Odinsson**__._

"Shut up!" Loki cried. "Just shut up already... I get it... Just leave me alone." But they never would leave him alone. They would always be there, always taunting, always teasing. They were the soldiers of Valhalla, brave and bold, mocking the fragility of a mind that was slowly breaking apart.

**I'm making an update schedule for myself and Words Like Thor's is going to be a biweekly update! Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9PM NST is when I'm going to be posting. (: Can't wait for that to go on. **

**Also a quick shoutout to a collab that OwlMay and I are working on, Arrow to the Heart. It's a great BlackHawk pairing fic and I'm really excited with how it's going. Totally different mood from this, but I thought I'd mention it anyways. **

**And lastly, than you so much for subscribing and reading this story! Whether you have an account or not, I'd love to hear from you! Send me a review and tell me what you think. (; Thanks for reading!**


	4. Miss Me

If I wasn't here tomorrow  
Would anyone lose sleep?  
If I wasn't hard and hollow  
Then maybe you would miss me  
**-Would it Matter by Skillet**

The voices in his head just wouldn't leave. The worst thing about it was that he just couldn't deny them. Their words were true. He was smaller; he was weaker. He was nothing compared to though and never would be. Hadn't he lost enough to prove that already? The first time he had face Thor in battle he had lost pitifully in front of Odin, no less. Once again he had tried to prove himself only to be tossed aside once more by the god of thunder.

Admittedly, he had been attacked by all of the Avengers instead of just Thor, but the outcome was the same. He had lost. Having an army and more training made no difference. Thor would always be stronger than him and it was a fact. There was no way for them ever to be equals. That was all he wanted after all. Even if he had become king of Asgard it would never make him equal to Thor. Thor had something he would never have. Thor was loved.

Loki ran his hands through his hair and shook it into a frenzy. Being a god had perks at times, but it was at times like this he envied the Midgardians. On Midgard they valued equality. They called discrimination a disease. In Asgard discrimination was hilariously rampant. You were born into greatness. Loki was born into disgrace. Why couldn't have he been born into an Asgardean family? Better yet, why hadn't he just been left to die?

He could have died in that temple, so why had Odin brought him along? If he was just going to survive a fate worse than death then it wasn't worth it being alive anymore. Loki slammed his head back against the door as he breathed heavily. He had finally lost his last supporter. Thor meant more to him than he'd ever like to admit and the loss hurt. There was nothing left in his world anymore.

He looked at the wrist cuff on his right arm. There was one way to kill a god: deprive them of 100% of their magical energy. He stared gloomily at the cuff and flexed his hand experimentally. He curved his hand up and closed his eyes before releasing a cloud of magical energy into the air. He grunted as the metal contracted around his arm and sent shocks of electricity up into his body, but he didn't stop.

The blue particles danced through the air before dispersing, letting other particles take their place. The room was filled with a blue hue as more and more magic began releasing from his palm. Sweat began percolating on his brow as he felt his energy leave him. He scrunched his eyes shut as the electricity charges came faster and faster.

He had to stay awake. He had to keep the process going before he could finally rest, the final rest. If he could just keep going a little bit longer then it would all be over. He wouldn't have to experience this pain anymore and he would be safe from those mocking voices. His thoughts only motivated him as he let out another surge of energy.

It was getting harder to breathe now and he was gasping for breath. He knew that at the very least he would be in a coma. There was no way to turn back now. The sound of footsteps echoed behind the door, but Loki's dulled mind could hardly take any notice. He just repeated the words 'keep going' over and over in his head like a mantra.

"**Brother!**" A fist pounded on the door behind him, but Loki closed his eyes to the sound. He couldn't give in now, not now. "What do you think you are doing?" Perhaps it was just his deprived mind, but Loki could have sworn that he heard a note of desperation in Thor's voice. Could it be? No, it couldn't be. He was just the rejected son after all. Soon, he wouldn't even be that. He would be nothing, nothing at all.

Loki opened his mouth weakly to make a reply of some sort, but found no voice would leave his mouth. Instead his face formed into a weak kind of smile. This would be the end of his story. The end that always happens. The villain dies and the heroes live happy every after. And Loki closed his eyes._  
_

* * *

**Author's Note: It's a short chapter, but I just had to end with my darling cliff hanger. Don't hurt me for it!**

**If it isn't obvious enough: I'm doing comicverse. I haven't seen the movie Thor and apparently I just learned that Loki killed his own father there. But that's life and I'm not changing it. Because guess what? Laufey is a giantess. Yes, -ess. Laufey was a girl in mythology so really my change ain't too bad. xDD**


	5. Tell Me Why

Why do you always shoulder everything  
On your own, suffering alone?  
Why do you take all the blame for this  
Saying it's all your fault?  
**-Tell Me Why by Ayumi Hamasaki**

"Brother!" Thor pounded on the door and shook the lock violently. The door would not open. Only a few moments ago he had been sitting downstairs when he felt the overwhelming wave of magical energy come washing over him. Humans did not have the capacity to make a single such wave. This magic kept on coming and coming and Thor knew it had to have been from his brother. But now that he had made his way up to the floor Loki was contained on, he finally realized the magnitude of the emissions.

It was hard to breathe because of all the magic that was filling the air. He was already heaving trying to suck in enough air. He beat his fist one more time against the door before coming to terms with the fact his brother wouldn't open the door. He pushed Steve and Tony off to the side before talking a few steps back. He charged forward and rammed into the door. The wood splintered and Thor almost ran directly through it if not for the fact he tripped over something.

The blonde man tumbled across the ground before turning back to see what he had fallen against. His blue eyes widened in horror as he saw his brother lying limply on the ground. The Asgardian god still had his hand cupped on the ground and was continuing to end out sparks of magic. Loki's eyes were shut, but they were twisted in pain as shocks continued to be sent up his arm.

Thor scrambled to his feet and rushed over to his brother's side. "Brother! Stop it!" There was no real way to stop someone from expending magical energy, and Thor knew it. But he had to do something! His brother looked so sickly there on the ground and... was that blood? Thor's gaze travelled to the small stand by the entrance of the room and saw the telltale red color on the side of the wood. From where Loki was laying right now... Thor froze as he rapidly pieced everything together. He had caused his brother to hit the table and now he was bleeding.

Thor scooped his brother's head into his arms and frantically looked around for his friends. Steve was frozen in the doorway and was simply staring at the pool of blood that was rapidly expanding upon the floor. Tony had rushed off down the hallway in search of Bruce. Bruce, while he studied in nuclear physics, had also taken some medical courses. All physicists working with dangerous chemicals had to know how to perform first aid if necessary.

Thor looked helplessly from his brother to Steve. He had become so used to the thought of regeneration that injuries didn't bother him much anymore, but the regeneration required energy. It required energy that Loki didn't have. So instead, his brother was bleeding to death in his arms while he was already critically weak. Thor didn't know what to do.

Seeing Thor's look, Steve dropped to his knees and kneeled by Loki. He spread Loki's hair to the side around the wound and hissed when he saw the full damage. A large indentation was cut into the side of Loki's head with the deepest part leaking out blood. Steve could safely say that the skull had to be fractured because there was no way the injury could go so deep otherwise. It was a miracle that he was even alive.

Steve looked around briefly for a rag of some sort to staunch the bleeding. Finding none, he ripped the cuff of his shirt off and pressed it up against the injury. Steve frowned as the blood quickly seeped into the fabric, but continued holding pressure. Where on earth was Bruce?

"He's over here!" Tony's voice rang from down the hallway, much to both Steve and Thor's relief. Footsteps came pounding down the hallway as Bruce and Tony came into sight. Bruce pushed up his glasses as he leaned through the doorway, and cringed at the sight. He bent down beside Loki and looked the man over quickly before jerking Steve's hand away.

"The heck, Bruce?" Tony exclaimed as he rushed to put something else over the wound to staunch the blood flow.

"Don't put pressure on it," Bruce hissed as he swatted away Tony's hand. "You're going to aggravate the injury by pushing in the fragments! Good grief, Tony. Don't act before you think, and just leave this to me." Thor had rarely seen the doctor act so seriously, but he was glad for it. It seemed as if Bruce knew what he was doing, but Thor couldn't help himself. He spent the next five minutes holding Loki tightly in his arms and watching everything that Bruce did.

"The paramedics are on the way, and heaven knows that if they don't hurry up, I'll carry him to the hospital myself," Bruce said lowly as he held a hand to the side of Loki's neck. He had to stop the bleeding, and it looked like the only way he would get that to happen would be if he cut off some of the circulation to Loki's brain. They couldn't risk direct pressure so this would be the only way.

Tony had taken a step back out into the hall and had his hand up to the side of his head. He spoke animatedly to JARVIS, and Thor could just barely make out the words: "well tell them to hurry the heck up then! Someone is dying over here, and I'm pretty darn sure he can't wait for traffic."

Tony walked back over to the group huddled around Loki and said, "They'll be here in two minutes." Tony crossed his arms as he looked down at Loki with something akin to pity in his eyes. He had never thought he'd feel sorry for the man, but now he was sure there was nothing else to feel. The man had just tried to commit suicide. Even worse, Loki has used _his_ technology to do it.

Tony had created the cuff to be a deterrent for magical usage, but he had never considered the fact it would be used like this. His eyes widened as he realized that the cuff probably still hadn't stopped trying to suck energy out. It was made to keep levels at a constant low and he hadn't programmed in a mechanism for it to end.

He grabbed Steve by the shirt collar, and tossed him out of the way. The man skittered across the floor, and opened his mouth to complained, but stopped as he saw Tony hurried fumbling with Loki's armband.

Tony felt around the edges of the cuff for the small clip that he had inserted for the lock. He dug his nail into the groove and pulled it out before planting his thumb onto the tiny monitor. The monitor flickered for a few moments before flashing green. The tech hissed briefly before falling down onto the ground. The light blue glow that surrounded the metal flickered a few more times before dying away.

Tony still couldn't get rid of the burning guilt inside of his chest. It was the same feeling he had when he was a weapons manufacturer. His technology was being used to hurt people, kill people. It was being used by people to hurt _themselves_. "Is there anything we can do to get him downstairs without injuring him further? Time is of the essence and the elevator doesn't move particularly fast," Tony mumbled quietly.

Thor cast a thankful look up towards Tony before looking over towards Bruce. "I can carry him if need be," he offered quietly.

Bruce looked conflicted as he glanced from Loki and back to Thor, "Keep his head down if you can. We'll bring him to the elevator, but be careful not to move him too much. It doesn't help that this place has over a hundred floors," Bruce sighed as he pulled away from Loki.

Thor took this as his cue to pick up his brother, and he carefully shifted the smaller man into his arms. They all slowly hurried into the elevator before heading down to the lobby. Thor looked at his brother's closed eyes, and listen to the dreadful sound of dripping liquid. He scrunched his eyes tightly shut and hoped, prayed, that somehow everything would be ok.

* * *

**Author's Note: I felt so bad for Thor here. ): But for all of you medical buffs, Loki has an open depression fracture. I won't go into many details, but I'll try to keep it as realistic as possible. **

**I ended up posting this early because Potkanka asked me too. xD Be sure to thank her for it otherwise I wouldn't have posted till Tuesday. :P **

**I love the reviews, so keep them coming? (; **


	6. Just a Machine

Well I've been here all night  
And I'm watching you  
Breathe in and breathe out  
Is it really you or just a machine  
**-Things Left Unsaid by Disciple**

Thor rested his head on his hands as he sat outside the operation room. This was a situation he never thought that he would be in. His eyes were red from tears as he stared at the floor. Never had he felt so scared. There were times where he fought for his own safety, but this was worse than that. It was worse because there was absolutely nothing he could do to help his brother. While the doctor's tried to save Loki's life, all he could was sit and wait. It was an awful feeling.

A nurse had come out a few minutes ago to inform them all on his situation. Open depressed skull fracture that was a centimeter down, gross contamination at the point of entry, heightened chances of infection, and heavy bleeding. Thor hung his head. If only he had just pulled the door off instead of ramming right through it. His brother wouldn't be in this situation if not for him. He would instead just be recouping his magical energy, but now he was bleeding to death. There was a real chance of Loki dying because it was impossible for him to heal right now.

"Thor, it'll be alright. These people are the best that SHIELD has to offer. They'll be able to heal your brother." Steve smiled weakly as he put his hand on Thor's shoulder. The Asgardian looked so weak now. Thor had always been obliviously confident. He was the person on the team that kept their spirits high because he would never give up. It was scary seeing him like this because it was as if he had completely lost faith.

"What if SHIELD's best is not good enough, Steve?" Thor let out a raspy sigh. That was the thought that had been scaring him. What if they weren't good enough? Thor would never be able to forgive himself for it. Loki might have been hurting himself, but he, and only he had caused the skull injury. No one else could be to blame but him. "I killed him," Thor whispered.

"Don't speak of him as if he's dead," Steve replied shortly. He stopped himself there before sighing. He was guilty as charged when it came to not liking Loki, but now... Steve was not sure if it was possible to dislike the broken man. He was broken, but not destroyed. There was still a chance that he would be alright, and a chance was all he needed. "He'll pull through this," he said confidently. Loki had to be alright.

"Ha, ha, ha." Steve turned around to see Tony leaned up against the wall with a despairing look in his eyes. "You think it's your fault he's like this? You've got to be joking me, thunderbird. There's no one else to blame, but me. I made an oversight that is costing Loki his life. It never should have happened, but it did because I wasn't careful." Tony laughed weakly and put a hand to his head, "Pepper always told me to be more careful, but I never listened. Oh lord, it's like back then happening all over again."

Steve frowned as he looked between his two friends. Both seemed to be falling apart before his very eyes now, he couldn't let that happen. "It's not your fault, Tony." He moved away from Thor to give Tony a small hug before looking at him in the eyes. "You couldn't have ever expected this to happen, so I can't see how you could be bla—"

"That's the point!" Tony yelled. He pushed Steve's comforting hands away, and stared at the man with a manic glow in his eyes. "I should have expected all the scenarios! It's my job to know everything that my tech could be used for. I should have foreseen this! If I did then Loki wouldn't have even had the chance to fall this far." He shook Steve violently as he said, "Don't you get it? My tech, my fault." His head dropped as he heaved tightly. "I wasn't careful enough."

"It's not your fault." Steve shook his head despondently. He didn't know how to convince the men that it was neither of their fault, but fault had to be placed on someone. If not them, then who? Steve didn't want to blame anyone, but he didn't have the words to explain it. It was something that Tony picked up on.

"There's no reason why I'm not guilty. I thought out every scenario, but it still winds up to one fact: if my technology wasn't there, he wouldn't be in this situation. Don't deny it, Rogers." Tony stepped away from Steve and leaned back against the wall. He sighed and rubbed his hands across his face. "Please, just don't push it. I need to know how he is, but don't... don't say anything."

Steve bit his lip, and nodded silently. There was nothing he could do. He looked down the hall to see Bruce talking with one of the nurses. After a few moments, Steve wandered over to talk to the man. Bruce turned to look at Steve and sighed, "He'll be out in a few minutes. He's stabilizing out, thank goodness."

Steve let out a breath he hadn't know that he had been holding, and he gave a small smile, "I'm sure the others will be glad to hear that. Do you know about his condition?"

"They elevated the skull back up and cleaned up the mess. Time will only tell if he gets infected though." Bruce looked over to the glowing red sign that read: 'Busy'. Ever since he had arrived, he had been pegging all the doctors for any information they could give him. It was an awful feeling, not knowing what was going on. It scared him to be perfectly obvious.

The Other Guy had never really taken to Loki, but over the time of Loki's imprisonment, Bruce had slowly begun to adjust to the man. It was slow progress, but Loki didn't seem completely evil. _You had better come out alright, _Bruce thought as he looked from Thor to Tony, _everyone out here is worrying for you._

* * *

**Author's Note: Poor Tony, Thor, and Loki! ): **

**I know I didn't include Clint and Nat in here. It's surprising since I adore them as characters, but I just didn't see how they would fit in. They'll appear later, along with Pepper, so don't worry. (: **

** As a note, I'm going to camp next week so this is just a warning in case I have to miss an update. I'm trying to write chapters in advance, but even if I do post, they may be shorter. I'll try to continue to post quality work for you all! Thanks for reading and perhaps leave a review? (;**


	7. Restless in the Wind

Locked in, buried under my skin  
Writing on the whispers  
Restless in the wind  
Hunted, I can feel it coming  
Keep me under cover  
In what could have been  
**-Surrender by Digital Daggers**

The glowing red light flickered off with a click, drawing the attention of some of those gathered in the hall. Thor jumped up from his chair, and had his eyes transfixed upon the door while Clint smacked Tony upside the head, and directed him towards the OR. Tony's eyes snapped up towards the door as he shoved Clint out of the way.

The white doors were pulled open, and out rolled a stretcher. Loki was strapped tightly down to the bed, obviously they didn't trust him even while he was ill, and a breathing tube had been inserted down his throat. It seemed so mechanical, so fake. The rise and fall of Loki's chest was the only thing that confirmed that he was alive. His skin was deathly pale, and he was motionlessly as if he had already greeted death.

Thor swallowed as Loki was rolled past. He daren't stop the motion of the stretcher, but he wished it would pause all the same. He wanted to get rid of those confounded restraints that were strapped around his brother. Though he knew they were necessary, he hated how they appeared. They made his brother look like he belonged in a psychiatric ward. His brother's words from last night run through his head, "_Don't you know what they call me? A homicidal maniac. A deranged lunatic._" Thor clenched a fist as the cart rolled on by. He mumbled a quiet apology as Loki was rolled on past.

A nurse broke off from the procession to speak to Bruce, "We think he'll be alright. He's gone into a comatose state, but we can't be sure when he'll wake. We'll shed the use of magical dampeners, but he is going to be tied down to the bed. It won't cut off his circulation, but it'll be enough to keep him immobile," the woman said in a companionate tone. "He'll be in the ICU until we can confirm that he hasn't gotten infected. You can visit later if you like. There's nothing more we can do right now." It was the tone in her voice that quietly suggested for them all to go home.

Bruce nodded and thanked her for help. He turned back to the rest of the Avengers, and he waved for them all to follow. Thor cast one last longing look down the hallway where they had taken his brother before following after Bruce. The sun cast its rays over his face as Thor stepped outside of the hospital. As he looked up into the sky he wondered if Sol and Mani were smiling or if they were crying. Was it as Loki said? Did the gods and goddesses of Asgard hate him for his race?

Thor shook his head. That couldn't be it. Odin had said that he loved Loki. It was all just a dreadful mistake, but Loki had thought it was so real. He had to think it was real enough to be worth the taking of his own life. Thor hadn't thought that the pain had run so deep within his brother.

He shut his eyes as he thought about Heimdall. Heimdall was known to see the future. Why did he not see this event happen? Or had he seen it happen, and did he condone it? It fit with how Loki viewed Asgard, but Thor could not believe it. He had to know the truth. Was Loki so hated, and had he, Thor, turned a blind eye to this hatred for centuries?

"Thor?" Natasha tapped him on the shoulder, and looked him over with a scrutinizing eye. "Are you doing ok?"

Thor looked at Natasha blankly before realizing that he had gotten too absorbed in his thoughts, "Ah, I am fine. I was just planning on visiting Asgard for a day. Will that be alright?" Thor wasn't quite sure why he was asking her for permission, but he assumed it was because of this weakness in his chest. All the truths he had for so long thought at fact were being pulled and stretched into things he did not know. It confused him, and he was becoming lost.

Natasha's face softened, and she gave a nod. "I'm sure none of the others would mind if you want to notify your family. Want me to tell them for you?"

Thor gave an appreciative nod, "That would be helpful. I will return as soon as I can."

He turned his head up towards the sky, towards Odin, and knew what he had to do. He took off through the streets until he found a secluded alleyway in which to open up the path to the rainbow bridge. The portal opened over the brick wall, and Thor strode through it. Bifrost shook with every step he took upon it. His anger was evident as the white clouds turned dark and swirled with his anger.

Thinking too much was dangerous, Loki had been evidence of that, but now that Thor actually sat down to think, he was angered. Heimdall saw all and Odin was all knowing. There was almost not conceivable way that they could not have seen this. Thor's heart cried out and said that it could not be true, but his mind sun a different tune. He either had to believe in his father's weakness or in his cruelty. Thor wasn't sure which one he preferred because each would have required Odin to lie.

The castle that was Asgard loomed before him as Thor headed towards the gates. The guards recognized him and swung the door open to let him through. They creaked and moaned as they were pulled open for the god to pass. Once Thor would have waved hello to the guards and even stop to chat, but that was not the same Thor as now. Before, Thor thought the name Avengers had no purpose, but now he had something to avenge, his brother. He hoped it all was a lie and that his brother didn't need avenging, but it became increasingly more obvious to him that there was no other way.

"Son of Odin, welcome back. Was your journey to Midgard pleasa—"

Thor cut the man off and said, "I demand an audience with Odin Allfather. Immediately."

The guard outside the throne room shook his head. "I'm afraid Odin is in meeting right now. You cannot go in. He will be out in an hour. Wait until then."

Thor's eyes turned cold as the temperature in the room started falling. The sunlight that had cascaded into the room was veiled as clouds hid the sun. "Did you not hear what I said? I need to see him **_immediately_**," Thor bellowed. If one read into his tone, they would hear a threatening touch to his voice. It was a sign that Thor was not to be tested now. He had killed thousands with a few swings of his hammer whilst in this mood. A simple guard would stand no chance against him.

"I-I will see what I can do." The guard creeped through the door and into the meeting hall, leaving Thor glowering at the door. This meeting with his father was not going to be one he would enjoy.

-WLT-WLT-WLT-

Frigga flinched as the voices from the throne room grew rapidly louder and louder. Upon Thor's return, she had expected a celebration or something of the sort, but her son had pushed her off. He had such a serious look on his face; it was a look Frigga hadn't seen since Loki had last rebelled. She wondered what had happened to put him in such a dour mood, though she supposed it had something to do with Asgard if Thor had returned.

"FATHER! If this had been foreseen why did you not do anything to prevent it? Don't you care for your own son?" Thor thundered angrily.

"We are tasked with the protection of Asgard, Thor! It is not our place to intervene with things happening on earth unless it is caused by one of our own. Do not think that I do not value Loki, but we have millions to care for! I cannot spend time looking after every single lost child!" Odin bellowed back. The man ran a frustrated hand through his white hair and shook his head.

"But he is your **SON**! He should be nearer and dearer to your heart than all others, so why? You sacrificed your eye at Mimir's spring for all-knowledge, so why didn't you visit him while he was despairing? You should have known while it was going on, and you should have known that it would happen!" Thor's voice cracked at the end as he shook his head. He was in denial. His father couldn't be so cruel to leave Loki in so much pain; he couldn't be.

"He is dear to me, Thor! Do not think me cruel, but I least of all can leave Asgard at a time of weakness. You are supposed to be the protector of Asgard, but now you reside upon Midgard. I need to take up the gauntlet in your absence or have you forgotten?" Odin said softly as he placed a hand upon his son's shoulder, "Do not worry, my son. Things will all be well soon."

Thor stepped back as he shook off his father's arm. "Knowledge such as yours is given so you can intervene in the events to happen. I cannot accept the fact that you waited for Loki to be damaged like this, not now... I shall return to Midgard. Do not expect me back for some time," he mumbled quiet. He turned away, and stormed away from his father.

As he pulled through the doors, Frigga reached out a hand to calm him, but she was ignored as her son left for the rainbow bridge. All she had wanted was a family, but it seemed that she wasn't even to have that.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey all! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. (: I'm going to be going to debate camp next week which will take up a good 9 hours of my day. I may or may not be able to get chapters out on time. Even if I do, they may be short. I just wanted to warn you in advance. :D **

**Thanks to all of my readers for continuing to read Words Like Thor's! I'm so glad that you all enjoy it! **

**As a final note/shameless advertising: I'm setting u****p a writer's group called the Tesseract Project! We're going to be a group of Avengers authors that critique and give advice to fellow members. This way we can all**** get advice while exposing ourselves to different styles of writing. We're currently looking for members, so PM me if you'd like to apply! It's best if you have a previous story uploaded, so that OwlMay and I can see your writing style though. :) Thanks for reading!**


	8. Distant Shore

Sometimes I hear you calling  
From some lost and distant shore  
I hear you crying softly for the way it was before  
**-Hymn for the Missing by RED**

It was very quiet. Loki lay silently in the bed as he slowly breathed in, then out, then in. His brain whirred slowly around, but he felt tired. Oh, he was so tired. He tried to open his eyes, but he only saw black. Was this what death was like? It was nothing. There was no sound, no shapes, there wasn't even a scent. Loki tried to find his arms, but found they were not there, or at least he could not see them. Why was it so dark?

"I'm so sorry, brother. You were right." Wait, what was that? Loki tried to locate the voice, but still he could see nothing. "You were right. I'm sorry I didn't believe what you said. I was blind, brother. So please, just wake up." That was Thor's voice!

Loki tried to speak, only to find he could not move his mouth. He couldn't move a single inch, not even to bat his eyelids. He wanted to tell Thor that of course he had been right. The thought struck him a moment later, if Thor was speaking to him, then he was still alive. Disappointment filled him. He had failed to die then. Couldn't he even do something as simple as that? It seemed that there was absolutely nothing he could do successfully.

"I visited Odin last night. He confirmed what you had told me. They knew... I am sorry I spent so much time upon this earth, brother. If only I had remained in Asgard, I might have known. I might have saved you from yourself, but I did not. It was selfish of me, and I regret it now." Loki would have scoffed if he had the ability to. Thor, save him? What kind of ludicrous joke was that anyways? He didn't need saving.

For Thor, perhaps he could feel some sort of sentiment. The man obviously knew of his mistakes now, but for Asgard? They were an entire world of elves and gods. They were too full of themselves to ever apologize. Thor was still considered a child in their eyes and was liable to make mistakes such as these. Was that what this apology was? A mistake because Thor was too young to know any better? Loki breathed raggedly through the mask as he thought.

That was probably it. Thor would never regret something he did to Loki, the god of mischief. No, he was the giant of mischief. Would they even consider him to be a god anymore? He doubted it. He was nothing more than Laufey whom they had slaughtered. They had probably wanted him to die. It was why they let him go this far, wasn't it?

"He told me that Heimdall knew as well. Brother, I wonder if they would have known of your initial betrayal if this is the case. Did they purposefully let both of us go through such pain the time to tried to take my brother? Did they let it so happen that you escaped to fight and hurt Midgard? I do not know if they see all, but it leaves me lost. I do not know what to do anymore." Thor's voice was low as he ended. Loki could just imagine his brother hanging his head as he leaned over the hospital bed. Heck, he could imagine himself laying there like the dead. It wasn't as if his skin was incredibly tanned anyways. He was often told that he looked like a ghost.

But Thor's words rung true in his mind. Loki longed to say how Thor was right. The Asgardians did not meddle in things they thought unworthy of their time. He was unworthy of their time. There was no reason why they would care for his life at all. But he also knew that even though Odin had a quarrel with Thor, Odin would always watch over for his son. They were still two different people even if Thor had come to his side.

He would always be the loser, no matter what. "Forgive me for being so blind." The pain in Thor's voice struck him in the chest. He wanted to reach out like he used to when they children. He wanted to stroke Thor softly on the head and murmur words of comfort to the man he had spent centuries growing up with, but he couldn't. His body rebelled against him and kept him in a silent state of paralysis.

The darkness made him tired, and soon he was lulled to sleep by the sound of Thor's sobs.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry that the chapter is kind of short. I couldn't imagine extending it, but I hoped you enjoyed it anyways!**

** Here Loki is suffering from Total Locked-In Syndrome. (: ****Locked-in syndrome** is a condition in which a patient is aware and awake but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body including the eyes. It is often confused for a coma. I decided to kind of delete the coma since it would be difficult to continue the story, but here is something very similar to it. Please do not be alarmed! I did not change this to make you all have heart attacks just because 90% of people with this die within four months. Maybe most of you didn't know that, and I just scared you now... Well, I can't give out plot details yet... So I hope you'll live through the heart attack to the next chapter on Thursday! (: Review? 8'D


	9. Hello

Hello, I am your mind giving you someone to talk to: hello  
If I smile and don't believe  
Soon I know I'll wake from this dream  
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken  
Hello I am the lie living for you so you can hide  
Don't cry  
**-Hello by Evanescence**

"The doctors aren't sure how he's going to turn out. If he was human, he'd be dead. There's no question about that," Bruce said as he cast a sorrowful glance towards the hospital room where Loki was being kept. "But as you have told us, Asgardians have different regenerative qualities. He hasn't woken up or shown any signs of recovery. He's still on the breathing tube since they aren't sure if he can breathe on his own yet. They think he's going down hill, and they are considering inserting a pacemaker if his heart continues on its slipper slope. It's hard to say. I'm sorry, Thor." Bruce put a hand on the thunder god's shoulder in an attempt to comfort the sobered man.

Ever since he had realized Odin's "betrayal", Thor had felt abandoned, lost. Frigga had tried to contact him, but Thor couldn't look at her without thinking that Odin had to have told her about Loki. She knew everything about her sons after all. Frigga had always claimed to love Loki, but was it just a claim now? He didn't know what was right and what was wrong anymore. It was all just a jumble because everything he had thought was true was being turned upside down and he hated it.

"It is all right," Thor said in an unusually quiet voice. "I must believe that my brother will pull through this. He is one of the strongest men that I know. He _will _pull through it." The way his voice quivered told Bruce that Thor was trying to convince himself more than any other person. Thor looked up to the room where his brother lay, still on the bed. He had heard that some people believed that talking to those in a coma helped to bring them back to the real world, but all of his talking seemed to do nothing. Loki still lay there, dormant. Thor would have done so much to bring him back, if not just long enough so Thor could apologize. There were so many things that he had believed that were wrong, but Loki would never hear him say sorry.

"That he will, Thor. If it's any consolation, the doctors did say that his brain still seems to be functional. It means there's a higher chance of him coming out," Bruce rambled a bit as he tried to figure out something to comfort his depressed comrade. Seeing that his words were doing little good, Bruce put a hand on Thor's shoulder and shook him slightly. "Don't stay in here forever. Come back to the mansion and rest. You need to sleep."

"I will be out eventually. Do not worry for me," replied Thor as he leaned his head forward on his hands. He did feel tired, but he felt as if every moment away from this hospital was a moment he was failing his brother again. It was a loathesome feeling, but the only way to lessen it was to be by his brother's side. Even then, the feeling never left him. Because a nagging part of him said that could be doing more for his brother, but instead he was sitting and doing nothing. Couldn't there be anything else that he could do for his younger sibling?

"All right. We'll be back later. If you're still around when I come back, then we're going to drag you out." Bruce smiled softly before leaving the hospital. Thor sighed and leaned back into his chair. He sat there for a few hours more until he felt the pulse. Magic was a living energy source. That was how it healed Asgardians. It also felt things. What Thor felt was the emotions of the caster: pain, sadness, anger, and betrayal. Loki.

Thor bolted up from his chair, and rushed over to Loki's room. He yanked the door open and hurried to the bedside. Loki's eyes were wide, and tears were slipping out of the corners. His mouth was letting out some sort of rasping gasp, but was stopped because of the long tube in his throat. Anything below his shoulders didn't move, but Loki was obviously scared. His eyes frantically searched around the room before lighting upon Thor. Another pulse, this time Thor felt condescension and pain.

Loki's face scrunched up in pain as the second pulse of energy came out. That was when Thor remembered what had gotten Loki in the hospital in the first place. "Calm down, my brother. You aren't well. Just lie there while I fetch a doctor." Loki glared back at him and responded by clamping his mouth down tightly on the tube, forcing it to rub against the side of his throat. Loki winced as the rubber hit his sore throat. It hurt, heck, everything hurt. His head whirled around in circles as he tried to breathe in. He knew air was reaching his lungs, but it didn't feel like he was breathing. He hated it. Why couldn't he have just died? He wouldn't have had to suffer through this if he did.

He watched as Thor rushed out of the room to call a nurse with venomous dislike. Oh no they wouldn't. He wasn't going to let them patch him up again. What would his purpose been if after all he did, he was just healed again? That was for the weak, and he couldn't be weak anymore. His head twisted to the side as he began to pump out more of his energy. "Brother! Stop it!" Asgard would freeze over before he would just stop.

Thor's hand gripped his shoulder and squeezed it tightly. One of the magical arteries clenched and the energy stopped it's release. Loki wanted to swear, but he was too weak and too broken. Instead he mentally cursed Thor with all off the Asgardian profanities he could think of. "We'll get a sedative," said the nurse. No! He didn't want to be sedated again! That would only make him weaker! "He obviously is struggling from the changes after waking up. He'll be fine soon." He was of perfectly good mind. He wanted to die and to Jotunheim they would not stop him.

He felt the needle prick his skin and soon, the world began to blur. "It will be all right soon, my brother. This is for your own good, I promise." Thor was a liar. How would Thor know what was good for him? Thor had spent his whole life making Loki's miserable. It was like a cruel joke. That was how Loki fell back into slumber, to the voice of a god and a liar. He fell asleep in sadness.

**Author's Note: This story may become increasingly hard for me to write from this point on. Probably because I finally watched the Thor movie and I'm of the firm opinion that I hate Thor almost 50% more than I used to. :D Never fear! I will continue writing this story since I know where I want it to go. Hopefully my writing won't be affected by this. xD **

**Hope you enjoyed the story! Leave a review if you did?**


	10. Lie to Me

Lie to me if you can leave  
I'll still be here when you see  
You're not alone  
You don't have to run again  
And leave me in denial  
**-Lie to Me by RED**

Feet clattered down the hallway as the Avengers stormed back into the hospital. The door to Loki's room was thrown open and they all flooded into the room. Thor was sitting by Loki's beside with a contemplative look on his face. His fingers were laced together in front of his mouth as he stared at his brother's sleeping form. At the grand entrance, his eyes flicked over before flicking back to his pale brother.

"We heard that he woke?" Steve asked animatedly as he looked from Loki to Thor. Obviously, the god of mischief was now asleep, but had he been awake previously? If so, it would be a miracle. Loki had made them all worry, no matter that he had previously tried to take over Manhattan. The ebony haired man had shown no signs of waking up for a good long while. When the Avengers returned to hear from a nurse that Loki had awakened, none of them waited a moment before running off to the hospital room.

"That he did," Thor said solemnly. He turned over towards the newcomers and said cryptically, "They had to sedate him.

Tony stilled. Was Loki just coming off coma confusion or was there something else that would have really required him to be knocked out? "Why?" Steve asked the question they were all thinking.

"He was a danger to him, is what they said," answered Thor with a sigh. He still didn't understand why his brother had responded so negatively. Shouldn't he have been happy to be alive? Did he not regret trying to take his own life?

"Oh no..." Bruce said softly. "He was probably just confused. The last thing he remembered was probably when he was knocked out." He tried to comfort the Thunder god, but he wasn't sure what there was to say. He knew the terminology from when he skulked around the hospital. Patients were almost never sedated in times like this because they had to get reacquainted with the world. If Loki was sedated, he was probably trying to self-harm.

"If only that were true." Thor put a hand on Loki's and frowned. He hate the black restraints that were now tied around his brother's wrists and ankles. The doctors said they were necessary to stop him from trying to rip any of the other tubes out. Th tracheal tube had been extracted in favor of nasal prongs. Now that he had awakened, he didn't require forced oxygen, only a supplement. However, he still retained his deathly pallor and had the appearance of death.

Clint couldn't help but feel sorry for the downed man. He remembered thinking similar thoughts of death after returning from Loki. Loki may have been the cause of all his grief, but he would never have wished the same pain to another.

Loki's emerald eyes opened slowly too look at those around him. A look reminiscent to annoyance appeared in his eyes before he shut them again. "Loki! Are you all right?" Steve asked as he walked to the other side of the bed.

Bloody fantastic, the Avengers were here. Had they come to mock him for being so weak? Wouldn't that be lovely after yet another failure on his part? He was pathetic. "You have eyes, do you not see?" He croaked out. His dry throat made it painful for him to speak and his cracked lips hurt when he moved them. His mind was the only thing that seemed to be working properly anymore. He knew well enough where he was, and it was not where he wanted to be. "Why do you keep me here?" He rasped. They had every right to just let him die. It would have been the perfect chance to get rid of him.

"Isn't that obvious?" Natasha said with a quirked brow. "You're obviously not well."

"More than that. Why didn't you let me die?" He replied hoarsely.

Natasha took a step back from the bed in surprise while the rest of the Avengers had frowns cresting their faces. This wasn't exactly how they were expecting Loki to react. "We may have had our disagreements," that was putting it lightly, "but we aren't heartless. We wouldn't arbitrarily let you die," Tony said with a wave of his hand. His face betrayed his words as he looked worried at the Asgardian.

"It would have been more convenient for all present if you let me die," replied Loki shortly.

Steve's eyes bugged out while Clint replicated the look of a fish out of water. Neither of them could believe what they had just heard. "Who the heck said it would be convenient or good for us?" Clint exclaimed incredulously. "I may darn well hate you, but I don't want you dead."

Loki looked over at the archer skeptically, "Don't tell me that was supposed to make me feel better. And logically, it would be easier for you and everyone else." There was no scenario in which it was easier to keep around dead weight. He knew well enough that he was preventing them all from leaving the vicinity because they had to keep watch over him. They had to write reports on his activities, heck, they wrote on what meals he ate every day and did a calorie count. He was a nuisance to keep around.

"What we do isn't dictated by logic, otherwise people wouldn't waste time playing games because it isn't a logical use of time," Clint said awkwardly. He still wasn't particularly comfortable talking to Loki. He felt as if they were walking on thin ice. "Even if you are inconvenient, we wouldn't ever wish you dead."

Loki wanted to laugh at their foolishness. The Asgardians would have rejoiced at his death, he was sure. They'd been watching it like how Midgardians watched television. It was all just a game for them. "Then you are a fool, Barton." Loki laid back into his bed and closed his eyes. There was no way he could short circuit his magical core again while all of them were around. He'd have to delay his death until later.

The Avengers shared mixed glances of worry. They hadn't ever expected in their wildest dreams that Loki would turn out like this. They were used to the man who provoked all of the Avengers on purpose just to get them at their very best. This man was running towards defeat and wanted to embrace death. The two were totally different and yet they were the same.

"I may be a fool, but I'm not a cold-hearted one. We're not going to let you die," said Clint firmly.

"I'll be the judge of that," replied Loki before falling silent.

* * *

**Author's Note: And so begins the not so good looking path to redemption! Things do look grim, don't they? And it's all right, you guys! XD I might not like Thor as much, but that doesn't mean I'm discontinuing! My muse is floating all over, so I'll be trying to keep my head in the game. All the reviews last chapter made me so happy, and I'm so thankful for all of the support you guys are giving me! I love you all!**


	11. Creeps in Corridors

Who is the betrayer?  
Who's the killer in the crowd?  
The one who creeps in corridors  
And doesn't make a sound  
**-Florence and the Machine**

The blasted thing about being a suicidal god was the fact that it was so hard to kill oneself. Loki stared at the mirror that the nurse was holding in front of his face. One of them informed him that he suffered from an open depression skull fracture. If so, his head should have been bandaged up and thinking should have hurt like hell. Instead, when the nurse sliced off the bandage, he found a smoothly healing scar. A few sutures were still up there, but it looked like it was healing. That was not what he wanted.

The hair on his left side was missing from where they had to shave it off, but it would grow back in time. It would probably grow back quicker than most because of his stupid healing system. He leaned back into his bed and silently dismissed the nurse. The white clad woman hustled off, seemingly eager to leave his presence. He didn't doubt that she was. No one would really want to be around him, no matter how often they said that they enjoyed his company.

He thought back to the night previous when the Avengers had all burst into his chambers. They were all such silly beings. Did they really think that their words would confuse him into thinking that they really cared? If the beings he had been close to for centuries upon centuries could not find any good in him, then why would the ones he had only known for a year be any different? Over time, they would surely find more faults with him.

A voice inside of his mind told him that he was trying too hard to convince himself that they didn't care. And that perhaps, just perhaps, they really were worrying about him. Loki closed his emerald eyes. That could not be the case. No one would care for him, ever.

He remembered his brothers words from oh so long ago, "A talented liar brother, always have been." Those were back in the days when all he wanted was to be approved by his father. After Odin had left him for dead, Loki could not help but feel it was all hopeless. He hated all of Asgard, yet he wanted its approval. It was funny wasn't it? Why couldn't he just let go of it all? He already knew that they would never love him, but he still wanted their love anyways.

"Can I come in?" A voice sounded from behind the closed door, Stark.

"No, but you're going to do it anyways," said Loki. His voice was still crackly from the lack of hydration. Well, it wasn't as if he wasn't hydrated, but his throat was like sandpaper. A perfect torture for the liesmith, no?

"You're right on that one," said Tony cheekily as he stepped through the door. The billionaire ambled over to the beside before sitting down on the steel chair. He propped his hands up on the bed and leaned on his fists to stare at Loki, causing the Asgardian to raise an eyebrow. Time passed silently for a few moments before Tony said, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Must you really ask that?" Loki said with a sneer. It didn't look particularly frightening with nasal prongs though.

"It's an icebreaker." Tony shrugged before looking around the room awkwardly. Loki hadn't ever seen the self-proclaimed "genius" like this. Normally he burst into other people's business and felt no apprehension at doing so. Now he appeared to be on edge, on edge about what? Loki couldn't hurt him at all, so what else was there?

"Are you going to say something important? I don't like being loitering around my room," said Loki with a slight roll of his eyes. His body felt tired. His words almost felt like they were slurring. He expended a lot of energy just talking to people, but he wouldn't let the weakness show. He had to put up a strong front, so that they would finally leave him alone. If they kept on coming in like this, he would never be able to finish himself off.

"Just curious. I've never talked to you much." Tony leaned forward and a frown touched his face. "I think the only time I've ever talked to you was when I asked if you prefer butter or peanut butter on your bread. Unless you count the time when I asked if you wanted a drink, but other than that, nothing. What I'm trying to say is that I don't understand you. Sometimes you're a cocky jerk, but other times you're a depressing guy. I want to know what makes you tick."

"Don't think of me as some sort of experiment, Stark," snapped Loki. "There is no cause and effect here."

"But something had to have caused it. I may not know you well, but I think I know you well enough to know you don't act irrationally. So why?" Tony inquired. He had expected a lot of things from the captive god. Perhaps he would try to force his way out of his 'cell' or poison someone's food in protest, but never had Tony imagined he would try to commit suicide. He didn't get it.

"I gave up," Loki said simply. "You would too if one of your 'closest friends'," Loki said the phrase sarcastically, "boasted about killing your race. And if you had a father that said to your face that you never ever had a chance of being worthy in his eyes. If he sat there upon his throne and watched you suffer without making a move to stop it." His voice was laced with venom as he spoke. Talking of Odin angered him. The proud man would forever torment him with his words. 'I just wanted to protect you from the truth' indeed. Insufferable presumption.

Tony's frown deepened. None of the Avengers had ever inquired as to why Loki did what he did. They always took evil at face value, and Thor had never expounded upon the tale. All they knew was Loki and Thor were brothers, and Loki tried to take over Asgard and Earth. Nothing more, nothing less.

Tony had never really liked his father either, the man was too absorbed in his work. However, Tony knew that Howard had cared for him. The reason why he drowned himself in his work was to make life easier for Tony, and Tony couldn't full-heartedly hate him for it. But Loki, for Loki it was different. Odin wasn't working to make things better for Loki. Odin was giving up.

Anger boiled inside of him. He had admired the man once. After all, who didn't like Odin Allfather? He seemed like a kind old man who spent his time worrying about Thor, and that was the problem. He worried about only Thor. "I'm sorry about that," Tony murmured, "I hadn't known."

"No one really does," Loki replied in a blasé tone. "But everyone makes assumptions in any case. No one stays to listen to both sides of the story. No one is born evil, they are made evil." _Like I was._ Were the unspoken words. Both of them fell silent as they stewed over what had been said.

"Sorry for assuming things, but don't take us for granted." A small smile twitched at Tony's lips. "You talk like you know what's going to happen and how we're going to react. I can only speak for myself, but..." he paused for a moment before finishing, "I know that I'm siding with you over Odin. It's not you against the world, Loki. We can help you."

Loki snorted. "I've given up. What part of that do you not understand? You're just prolonging my misery. If you really understand, then just let me die."

Tony shook his head. "You haven't given up. Otherwise you wouldn't be talking to me now. You're trying to convince yourself that you have. We're not going to let you die, Loki. We're going to show you why people like living, got it?"

Loki looked at Tony skeptically. "I highly doubt that. I'm telling you now to give up because it will all be for naught."

"And I'm telling you that we won't. We're stubborn like that," Tony said with a smile. "So you had better be ready for it."

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! (: It's the beginning of redemption! Can the Avengers save someone who doesn't want to be saved? ;o**

**Brownie: I'm glad you like the story! I'll definitely be talking about that more soon. **

**Maureen: I hope I'll be able to write his path back will be as good as my former chapters! I'm happy you like it so far!**


	12. Pursuing Pain

It's still the same, pursuing pain  
Isn't worth the light I've gained  
We both know how this will end  
But I do it again**  
-Fight Inside by RED**

Rehabilitation. He hated the word. It was the word that those foolish nurses uttered every time they entered the room. Loki, you need to begin walking so we can begin your rehabilitation! Didn't they get it? He didn't want to be helped. He wanted to die off, but no one would let him do it! Didn't they realize that they were only prolonging his misery? Things would never get better. If he healed himself, he would only be opening himself up to more suffering.

Loki's emerald eyes stare searchingly at the ceiling. If only the inanimate could speak, perhaps there would be someone to understand him. The ceiling whose back was broken every day until it finally broke, only to be patched up to last awhile longer. Perhaps such a thing could understand how he felt. If only it could give him some semblance of comfort now.

Tony's words last night troubled him. It wasn't as if he hated the thought of living; he just hated the futility of it. It was oh so hopeless for his life ever to be improved, so hadn't he better just give up? But they were going to continue trying. They were all stupid beings, but some part of him appreciated the sentiment. Some creatures could find it in their hearts to care for him, but those that he had sought approval from never would care. Did he even want their acceptance anymore? They had done so much, yet still his childish heart wanted to feel that he was loved.

Loki didn't understand it. He refused to apologize for what he had done to Midgard and Asgard, but he still had a part of him that was begging for forgiveness. He wanted Odin to say that he had always believed in Loki and that it was a mistake, but Loki knew it would never be. Odin was a hard man and when he said no, he would never change his mind. He had nearly a millennium to change his mind, and he never had. There was no reason for him to suddenly recant now.

"Loki, are you awake?" Bruce poked his head into the room and looked over at Loki. Loki had had his nasal prongs removed a few days ago, meaning that, unfortunately, that he was on the mend. Except for the fact that he refused to stand. Bruce, being the only one with an ounce of medical experience, had tried to force Loki out of the bed ever since he had woken up. So far, he was a no show.

"If I was before, I am not now," said Loki coldly. His voice had lost its rasp and was becoming smooth like it had formerly been.

"Well, I'm glad you are awake then. Loki," Bruce's voice turned stern, like he was reprimanding a child, "you need to walk. The blood is going to clot in your legs. You're either getting up on your own or you are going to be carried out and forced to stand. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mother," he spat venomously. His hatred flooded back into him as Bruce approached. Once again with that demanding voice, it was really stupid. As long as someone was cruel, there would be a dissenter. Even if the cruelty was for the person's own good, there would be rebels.

"Good. So let's get you ready." Bruce walked over to Loki's side and began gathering the IV tethers into a single hand. Loki flinched as one of the needles tugged at his skin; he tried to not show it affected him, but Bruce noticed.

"If I do something to hurt you on accident, just tell me, Loki. I don't want to make anything hurt," Bruce said gently. Loki sent the man a glare.

He hated, repeat, hated it when people belittled him. They may have thought they were extending generosity, but Loki found it patronizing. He had had enough of people thinking he wasn't good enough or strong enough. "It didn't hurt."

"It did. I saw you flinch. Don't make this harder than it has to be, Loki." Bruce sighed and taped the tubes together.

"I didn't!" Loki insisted, hissing angrily. "Stop assuming things, you presumptuous twit!"

Bruce's hand hovered over the switch for the IV fluids and quivered there for a second. That was when Loki realized the situation he was in. Hulk could snap him in two, and he wouldn't even die. Prodding the man was probably not a wise decision. Loki's heart raced, causing the blood pressure monitor to beep radically. The sound seemed to alert Bruce to what he was doing and he took a deep breath in.

"I just want what is best for you. If you don't trust me as myself, trust me as a person who is here just for your sake. They may call me doctor, but I never studied as an internist. Over the past few days, I've been pouring over books that I've never read in my life to figure out the best course of treatment for you. I had hoped I would never have to read about viruses and brain clotting, but now I have. And I did it for you. Not everyone is out to get you," explained Bruce.

Loki didn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. No one would ever go out of their way to do something for him because they wanted to. He was just a nuisance that people had to do extra work for. Was this some kind of cruel joke? "Even if you did, which I think you don't, why would you care? It makes no sense."

Bruce walked over to the wall and unplugged the IV pole and looped the charger over the hand railing. "I care because I'm a living being. Even with the other guy in me, I'm still going to be that way, and so are you." He walked over to Loki and pressed the button to tilt up the bed. "I don't take pleasure in seeing others in pain, and so I want to help you. You may think that any 'Midgardian rules' don't apply to you, but some truths span different worlds. This is one of them. We'll all care for others that are in pain, somewhere in our hearts. No one is inherently evil, not even a frost giant."

Loki kept himself from shaking. He wasn't sure if he was shaking with relief or with anger. "Haven't you heard what they have all said? I'm a malicious murderer. I don't feel things like compassion or pity." He spat out the word; it tasted ill on his tongue. He had had enough pity in his life. It was always either pity or condescension. Pity was the worst because people actually thought he appreciated the sentiment.

"I don't believe it. Because if that was true, I'd be a murderer as well. The other guy has killed more people as you have. Don't lie to me, Loki. We kept a kill count on you. You killed less than twenty people on your own. You may have led assaults, but you never engaged directly and purposefully withdrew from combat. You can't be someone who enjoys watching people die if you flee from battle like that." Bruce offered a hand to Loki only to have it weakly swatted away.

"Don't analyze me like a textbook, _doctor_," said Loki lowly. "I'm not something that can be understood."

"I never presumed so," replied Bruce calmly. "But you never denied any of what I said. Is it true then?"

Loki didn't reply.

* * *

**Author's Note: Back from debate and my council. Good grief, I'm glad I get to relax a bit... Kind of. I have my classes starting back up again and I'm adding two college courses onto my curriculum. It's going to be pure torture, but I'm excited for it. xD I'll try to extend my updates now that I have more time, so hopefully quality will bounce up! **

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Send a review if you did? ;'D**


	13. Don't Leave Me Alone

Don't leave me alone  
Cause I barely see at all  
Don't leave me alone, I'm  
Falling in the black  
Slipping through the cracks  
**-Falling in the Black by Skillet**

It was rare that he ever had time to himself. Either one of the Avengers was skulking behind him like a dog or carefully placed camera watched every move he made. He could tell that they were positioned to follow him by the way only moved when he moved. Loki didn't doubt that Tony had hacked JARVIS into the camera system just to watch him.

Ever since Bruce had come in that day, the man had been getting him to stand and walk around the hospital. Supposedly, he was getting better. He didn't feel like it though. He was back to the way it used to be. Following instructions and trying to please others, it was droll. It had been a few weeks since he had tried to take his own life. Perhaps it was a bit foolish, but sometimes he still wished that Odin would walk through the door. It never happened though, and he chided himself for hoping that it would. Why was he still clinging onto Odin? He should have given up long ago, but he could never truly bring himself to do it.

Perhaps he just wanted someone to say that they loved him and for them to mean it. He had had enough of people saying that they cared, but when a time came when he needed support, they turned a blind eye. Odin, Frigga, Thor, Heimdallr, and all of the other bloody Asgardians had turned a blind eye to his pain. Why couldn't they ever mean what they said? He was the god of lies, the liesmith, but why did all the other Asgardians lie so well?

Loki sighed as he stared out the hospital window. He was on the fourteen floor. It was strategically placed so that he couldn't escape. It wasn't as if he'd really try anyways. What would he do when he got out? Try to launch a civil war? With what army would he even do that? He didn't even have a scepter anymore. He felt weak and helpless. It was disgusting.

Green eyes trailed down to the cuffs on his wrists. A few days ago, Stark had come in to give him different restraining bracelets. Apparently these ones not only kept track of his energy core to stop draining him when he reached a critical point, but they also sent out alerts to Tony when it reached that point. It would severely impair his attempts to drain himself in the future. He'd have to drop a few things in front of the doors and windows to make sure they couldn't come in next time. The metal cuffs were clamped tightly around his wrists. They were better than the IVs that they had him hooked up to before, but not much better.

"Brother," Thor said as he entered the room, "I've come to bring you back to the mansion. Are you well enough to walk to the car?" Thor said his words carefully as to try not to disturb the younger god. He had spent a lot of time over the past few weeks thinking about what had happened during the fight with his father. He still couldn't believe what he had found out. He still didn't know how to reconcile the fact that his father was needlessly cruel. It was so different from everything that he had thought of his father in the past; he just didn't understand how it could be true.

"Of course I am able. I'm not an invalid, Odinsson." Thor flinched. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be called Odin's son anymore. The man had obviously proved himself unworthy of being a father figure.

"Call me Thor." The blonde man looked off to the side as he said it. He still felt immensely guilty for not recognizing what Odin had been doing earlier on. There were a lot of 'if only's in his head. If only he had noticed something was wrong with Loki earlier. If only he hadn't been blind to his father's faults. If only he had let Loki win once and a while in their childish games. But none of those things could be changed now.

Loki raised a brow at Thor. Was he renouncing Odin's name now? Well that was a new development. "Whatever you call yourself is no consequence of mine, but I will call you that if you wish." Loki pulled away from the windowsill and turned to stand up. He still wobbled slightly when he stood, but tried to conceal it through a confident facade. Laying down in a bed for a week and a half would get anyone down. It wasn't as much that his balance was off as he was just weak. Even his body was betraying him now.

He stopped himself from running a hand through his hair in annoyance. He was still missing a good chunk of his hair on one side. Considering the new cuffs on his wrists, Loki had found that any attempts to accelerate his hair growth ended with electric shocks. And with Thor being a danger with anything to do with magic, he would just have to wait for it to grow back the normal way.

Loki walked past Thor over to his bed where the other god had placed a small stack of clothes. Loki had been wearing hospital gowns ever since he had been dumped in this rat hole and was glad he would finally be out of the disgusting material. He noticed Thor's eyes watching every step and gave a sigh. Thor would either think of him as a fragile piece of china or a lying frost giant. He switched between the two and sometimes Loki wished he would just stick with the latter. It would save him the nuisance of trying to predict the man.

"So, are you going to leave me to get dressed?" Loki called over his shoulder arrogantly. Thor started before nodding hurriedly and rushing out of the room. Loki frowned a bit at that. Thor hadn't even vocalized his reply. Normally the man would boom out some needlessly long response to the most trivial of question. Loki shook it off as just being an off day for the man and got into his casual wear.

It was surprisingly hard to bend over, and Loki found himself falling a good few times before giving up and sitting on the ground. After he finished dressing, he leaned back against the metal framing of his bed. Leaving the hospital would be like leaving the frying pan to enter the fire. He would be able to put a distance between himself and urgent care, but he would also be surrounded by all of the Avengers. And that was a trouble in of itself. They would be watching him like hawks to make sure he didn't try anything again. It was sure to be a nuisance.

He wobbled over to the door and twisted the handle before stepping outside. Thor was standing just outside with his hands clasped behind his back. A small bag containing Loki's belongings sat on the ground beside the huge man. Thor dived to scoop up the goods as Loki walked out of the door. "Shall we go then, brother?" Thor offered an arm to Loki, who shied away from the hand, disdaining to accept anyone's help. Thor sighed at his brother's reluctance, but hovered near the man in case he ever stumbled.

Loki found the action insufferable because it assumed that he was weak. He rolled his eyes before walking past the other god and towards the elevator. It felt like deja vu. They were going to be riding in an elevator again. And Loki just knew that Thor wouldn't miss the opportunity to talk to him just like last time. He sighed as he was led inside of the metal container, and as the doors closed, Thor began to speak.

"I'm sorry about what has happened to you brother. I didn't know until just a week ago... I've refused to return to Asgard unless the Allfather apologizes for what he has done." Thor gripped his arm tightly as he looked into the reflective surface of the wall.

"Have you now," Loki replied smoothly. He made no appearance of shock, but inside, he was reeling. Thor would denounce Odin just for him? Thor was a father's boy. It made no sense for him to do that. A lot of things seemed to make no sense nowadays.

"Brother, listen to me. Will you forgive me for my ignorance?" Thor pleaded. He just needed to hear the words: I forgive you.

Loki paused and stared as his reflection as the elevator moved slowly down. He cursed the machine for moving so slowly. He sighed and said, "Time is the only cure. The longer an injury grows, the longer it will take to heal. A week is not enough time for this to fade away. It has been growing for thousand long years, Thor. A sorry doesn't work. Not after everything that has been said."

He looked away from Thor's downcast face and closed his eyes. He had always wanted to hear an apology, but Thor was not the one it needed to come from. He wouldn't forgive Thor, not yet. He needed to know what Loki had felt when he looked up in Odin's eyes to hear the single word that broke him: no. A single word that symbolized all that Odin felt towards him. No, Loki would never be able to do anything to satisfy me. No, I had never loved him enough to give him a chance. Until Thor knew what it was like to hear the word "no", like he did, then there could be no understanding, no forgiveness.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter! I'm finally dragging Loki out of the hospital and back to the mansion. He'll be transitioning out of the sick environment(hospitals make you depressed, trust me), and into a livelier place. But only time will tell if this makes a difference. (;**

**Brownie: Glad you like it! (: I thought Bruce was good friend material for Loki. He's caring, but also authoritative. **

**Review if you liked it?**


	14. One Of Us

Born in grief  
Raised in Hate  
Helpless to defy his fate  
**-One of Us by Tom Snow**

Loki crossed one leg over the other as he stared out the window of the car. People walked passed him, and he honestly wondered whether going in a car was faster than walking. The sound of car horns annoyed him as they made their never-ceasing racket. Manhattan was really an awful place. He didn't know why humans crowded into places like this.

He looked down at the small knob that controlled whether or not the door was locked. Obviously, they had taken preparations for his arrival. There were fiberglass coverings on both locks in the backseat. He wouldn't be able to unlock them like that. And even if he used his magic, it would set off the cuff. He grunted in annoyance. Why wouldn't they be a little bit more unprepared? This was beginning to annoy him greatly.

He glanced over at the driver's seat to see Bruce rapping his fingers on the wheel. Obviously, the man was annoyed with the traffic as well. He didn't have the added bonus of being locked up in a moving box though. That honor was reserved solely for Loki. Loki folded his arms against his chest and leaned against the window. He kept silent through the car ride and tried to ignore the poignant glances from his self-proclaimed brother. Eventually, he snapped and said, "Stop that. It's irritating."

Thor started and looked away at that, making Loki feel worse than he did before. The boy was too much like an innocent pup sometimes. No matter what Loki did, a majority of the time he ended up feeling badly about it.

The car ride was silent the rest of the way save for the horns honking all around them. As Bruce pulled up into the driveway, Loki couldn't drive away the feeling that he was being imprisoned again. He wished that they would throw him in a cell rather than a mansion. Then, at least, he would be able to hate them and give up the hope of ever escaping. It was only fit for him to be locked up in a cell. It made no sense for him to be put in a _nice_ place.

"Come out, Loki." Bruce unlocked the doors and moved to the other side of the door to open Loki's. The Asgardian stepped out and stood still by the black car. He noticed the relaxed way they moved, and quirked an eyebrow. They hadn't even bothered to handcuff him on the way out. Even now, they didn't really act like he could run away at any time. They may have put up the fiberglass, but they hadn't done anything more. Even now, Thor was taking his time getting out of the car before joining the other two. They may have been relaxed, but this put Loki on edge. Did they have some kind of technology that would incapacitate him if he tried to run? There had to be something. They couldn't just _trust him_ or anything like that.

"The others are waiting for us inside." Oh yes, the others. Loki was ever so much looking forward to seeing them. Loki rolled his eyes and casually put a hand on the car to stabilize himself. He meant it to be unnoticeable, but the doctor would always keep an eye out. "Do you want to wait a moment before you go in?"

Loki shook his head vehemently. He wouldn't be taken as weak. He hated the feeling, and he wasn't going to let it happen again if he could help it. He forced himself to straighten up and tried to act relaxed. Bruce noticed the change and sighed. He wished that Loki would let himself relax around them. Well, hopefully after today he would learn how to trust them more.

Bruce walked into the lobby of Stark Towers and brought Loki over to the elevators. They rose a few floors before stopping at the Avengers Recreation Floor. The elevator doors opened up to pitch black darkness, and immediately, Loki was on guard. The Avengers were childish enough to always have at least one person toying around in here. And he doubted their capacity to turn lights off whenever they left, so something had to be wrong.

Bruce stepped into the room, and dragged Loki along. Thor had a mischievous look on his face, and Loki frowned. "It's not going to work," he said simply. Thor gave him an angelic look of innocence before walking towards the other side of the room where a set of light switches were. The lights were flipped on, and sure enough, Tony jumped out from behind a couch and yelled, "Surprise!"

Loki grimaced. What was this rot? The other Avengers looked mildly embarrassed by their companion as they came out of hiding. "What in the name of Asgard is this?" Loki hissed out in irritation as the lights blinded his eyes. He rubbed his hand against his face to clear away the tears from the sudden light. When he opened them, he saw a cheery Anthony Stark about to grab him in a shoulder hug. Loki instinctively jumped back and hit Thor. He winced as he collided with the man and hurriedly stepped off to the side.

"It's your welcome back party of course! We wanted to make you welcome. Do you like it?" Tony said, not disappointed that his hug had been rejected.

"I absolutely do not. The sentiment is appreciated," it wasn't, "but I do not enjoy such things. I would much rather be alone. Consequently, I would like to retire my room." Loki said turning away from the entire hubbub. It was queer that they were all trying to make him feel... comfortable, was it? Were they trying to confuse him so that he wouldn't try to escape again? There couldn't be any other reason for them to do such a thing. It was a waste of his time and theirs. They both knew that they naturally didn't get along very well, so why were they forcing it?

"Nuh uh. We've been planning this little party for at least..." Tony looked up at the clock before saying, "five days now! You can't just quit on us now, Reindeer Games! Come on. Let me get you a drink or something."

"No," Loki shot back simply. "I do not participate in trivial festivities such as this. I do not care what ulterior motives you have and that you wish to accomplish. I will not take part in any of it. I would prefer to be alone or at least trapped inside a room with silence for I doubt you will leave me alone yet." Loki scoffed arrogantly before crossing his arms. He noticed how they all shared looks, and it confirmed his suspicions. He would be stuck with a babysitter for a while then. Hopefully, they would leave him alone at night, so that he could meddle around then. If not, he might actually have to participate in these rubbish festivities if only to get them to trust him.

"How about you stay with us for a bit longer? Try to loosen up a bit, Loki. We just want to make you feel comfortable," said Steve gently, walking over to the Asgardian he put a hand on his shoulder. He frowned as Loki tried to move away and took his hand back, trying to adjust to what Loki wanted. It wasn't something that Loki missed.

"Do not approach me or attempt to converse with me, and I shall stay. But I will have you know that this is against my will." Loki swept past Steve and sat down in a sofa chair quietly.

Clint ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Why was Loki making things so difficult? It was hard enough convincing himself that Loki deserved to be forgiven, but the Asgardian was not making anything easier for him. He looked over at Natasha who shrugged. They were going to have to break his rules eventually. They could just ignore him after all.

Clint stepped up to Loki and crouched down so he could look him in the eye, "We'll quiet down if you come over and sit by us. I'm willing to promise that I'll even shut Tony up if you sit over there." Clint said, jabbing a finger over at the ring of couches by the TV. "So what do you say?"

Loki raised an eyebrow and replied, "I don't know why you are doing this, but I shan't get involved. You know well enough how I feel, so leave me alone." He enunciated every word carefully before snorting callously.

"How many times do we have to tell you that we're not trying to get anything from you?" Clint said in exasperation. "You're just being paranoid."

"The reason I'm alive is because a man decided that he'd have use for me later. Excuse me for being cautious," Loki hissed back. He may have been a frost giant, but he felt his blood boiling under his skin. "Paranoia? It's not paranoia if it really exists, now is it?"

Clint frowned and said, "I'm sorry about that, but you still have to loosen up. I promise you; we won't try to manipulate you or bully you." Loki looked over at Clint skeptically. The man looked serious, but could he really trust words.

"Words are just words," he stared hesitantly, "but I suppose that sitting cannot do any harm. However, do not push me. Just because I am sitting with you doesn't mean that I approve of any of you or wish to talk with you."

Clint brightened and got up. "Hey, you guys! Make room for two more!"

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey all! I hope you like the chapter. (: The Avengers are really trying to get Loki back into a friendly environment. The only question is: will he take their offer? Going into the group is a good beginning, but will it continue? Review and tell me what you think!**

**As a side note, OwlMay and I are opening up a tumblr roleplay! It's Avengers and X-Men fandom. Basic plot is: Eight neutron bombs have been detonated over the major capitols of the world, America, China, Canada, Germany, Japan, France, England, and Russia. The governments have been completely wiped out, and the world has been thrown into turmoil. HYDRA, the instigators, have crept into the political sphere and have taken control of these countries. They have declared war on SHIELD and all mutants, blaming them for the attack. Will the Avengers and X-Men put aside their difference to defeat HYDRA?**

**Brownie: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. (: And I know... But forgiveness doesn't come easily. The wounds have festered for so long. ):**


	15. My Good Intentions

Change my attempt good intentions  
Crouched over, you were not there living in fear  
But signs were not really that scarce, obvious tears  
But I will not hide you through this, I want you to help  
And please see the bleeding heart perched on my shirt  
**-Wasteland by 10 Years**

Loki finally marched his way over to the elevator three hours later. He couldn't understand how it was fun to stare at a mechanical box that played exceptionally loud noises and displayed images of people making fools of themselves. But apparently this was what Midgardians found to be funny. His lack of response had prompted a ten minute discussion on why it was funny and which character was the funniest. Of course, Clint and Tony got into a spat over it, and it completely drowned out Loki's thoughts.

Steve stood beside him in the elevator, being appointed Loki's nanny for the rest of the night. Apparently, he wasn't even to sleep alone anymore. As creepy as it sounded, they were going to keep an Avenger in the room at all times. The only time he would really be alone would be when he was in the restroom which was a startling thought indeed. Loki looked over to the man beside him with a skeptical look.

Steve was the mildest of the Avengers. Even Banner could have his moments when he got frustrated, but Steve normally just bore it and went on smiling. It was irritating in a way because it was impossible to get any worthwhile reactions out of him. "So, Loki. How are you feeling? I never really got to talk to you with everything that was going on." Steve said calmly as he looked over towards the shorter Asgardian.

"I'm feeling all right. Though I have a headache from all the noise. And from that popcorn bowl." Loki referred to the infamous popcorn bowl that had gotten tossed around during the squabble over television characters and had hit him broadside. Steve winced at that. The Avengers really were not doing themselves any favors by that one. "In any case, I could be worse." Loki tried to keep himself clement.

He had watched them carefully over the past few hours, and he knew that the only way they would leave him alone would be if they believed him to be better again. That meant he would have to try and tone down the snarky replies and the short comments. It was going to be just as hard as it sounded.

"I'm sure that was an accident, but I'm sorry about that. And just tell me if there is anything you need. We had to tidy up a bit after you left, so there might be some stuff missing." Steve scratched the back of his head nervously. There had been plenty of blood to get rid of after Loki had left the room previously. They had also replaced the side table because the corner had blunted under the impact of Loki's skull. It made him squeamish just thinking about it. He might have been Captain America, the warrior hero, but he got grossed out at the sight of copious blood just like any other person would.

"I'm sure you did," Loki said shortly. He paused for a moment and grimaced. He would have to prolong the conversation somehow, if only just to improve Steve's opinion on his mental health. "Are they always this loud?" Not the best topic, but it was too late now that the words were out.

"Not always." Steve was glad for the change in conversation. "But they're glad that you've come back, so they wanted to do something special. They may have overdone it a bit though. I told them that you'd probably just a quiet get-together, but apparently Clint and Tony form a majority." He chuckled a bit at that. The two loudmouths could pass anything together even if the others outweighed their opinions.

Loki tilted his head to the side and thought. While it was true that Clint had lied about his promise to keep Tony quiet, he hadn't really expected it to come to pass anyways. It was more of an excuse to get him into the circle, so they would stop bothering him. The plan worked, partially. They didn't stop bothering him, but it got him near them. "I can see how that would work. They're quite... opinionated." That was the kindest word he could use to describe them. But inside his mind he was calling them obnoxiously loud chatterers that had no sense of self-restraint.

"Mmhmm. They're fun when you get to know them though. It just takes a little time." Steve offered.

"I've been around them for a few months already." Loki just about punched himself. He had done it again. Why did he always snark like that! He'd have to tie his tongue just to get himself to stay quiet.

Steve bit his lip, and the elevator binged, signaling they had reached the floor. "Well, I don't think any of them were really out to make friends then. We were all kinda tired and pressured if you know what I mean." It sounded a lot like an excuse in his ears, and he could only imagine what it sounded like to Loki. He stepped out into the hall and watched as Loki followed him out in silence.

"So," Steve straightened up at Loki's word, "are you going to show me to my room or not?"

"Ah! Right." Steve shuffled off down the hall and unlatched the lock to the room. They had needed to get a replacement door as well, considering Thor had broken the last one. The side table was a good too feet farther down the atrium, but other than that, everything seemed familiar. They had sanded a few things down to make them dull, but it was relatively normal.

Loki walked around the room and inspected all of his old belongings. He didn't have much, but he still wanted to make sure everything was in order. A few minutes later, he walked back up to Steve and nodded. Everything was in order. "I will go prepare for bed now. I trust that you have to watch over me like a vulture, so come along." Loki's body felt as if a hand was pulling him down to the ground. He was tired, plain and simple. He just wanted to get this over with.

He walked up to the side-room bathroom and stepped onto the tile. When he reached the marble countertop, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bottle. Steve tipped his head to the side in curiosity as Loki unscrewed the lid and slipped out a pill. He moved to put the pill up to his mouth, but Steve intervened.

Steve's hand instinctively shot out to grab Loki's hand. His hand gripped Loki's tightly and forced Loki to drop the pill onto the counter. "In the name of Asgard, what do you think you are doing?" Loki hissed at the sudden pressure around his wrist. His body was still sensitive and being grabbed by Captain America was one of the last things on his wish list at the moment.

"What were you doing with that pill?" Steve demanded, casting a look over at the white tablet on the countertop. He hadn't heard anything about medication, so Loki had to have gotten it from somewhere.

Loki snorted. "What? Did you think I would try to kill myself in such a primeval way as poison? I see how far your trust in me goes, Rogers. That is oxycodon. For simpletons like you, I shall describe it as a pain medication to help me deal with my brain surgery. Now, if you don't mind, let go of me." Steve started and pulled away his hand.

"Ah, sorry about that. I just thought-"

"You obviously thought I was suicidal. Rogers, how do you expect me to trust all of you when you all expect me to die again? Trust is not a one-way street unless you are a fool, and I am no fool." Loki picked up the small pill from the countertop and dry-swallowed it. He looked over towards the blonde beside him and shook his head. "I will retire now. Good night, Rogers."

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and just watched as Loki walked over to his bed and went under the covers. Steve ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He had really screwed up, hadn't he? "Good night, Loki."

* * *

**Author's Note: Steve has gotta learn how to interact with Loki more! He's just so awkward with the guy. /shakes head/ Poor Loki and Steve. Goodness gracious. **

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review if you did! ;D Next chapter is on Tuesday!**


	16. Honesty

Honesty is such a lonely word.  
Everyone is so untrue.  
Honesty is hardly ever heard.  
And mostly what I need from you.  
**-Honesty by Billy Joel**

A sharp rapping on the door alerted Loki to the fact that it was morning. He slowly rose from bed and rubbed a hand over his face. The knock came again, and he groaned in annoyance. He looked to the corner chair and noticed that Steve was gone. That meant that the knocker was probably the next one on shift to deal with him. Loki slopped himself out of bed and marched over to the door. He hadn't even bothered to undress last night, knowing that it would have been too much of a bother. Plus, it would have been a nuisance having Steve still in the room. Obviously, the man didn't trust him enough to leave him alone for longer than thirty seconds.

Loki twisted open the door and a figure quickly walked into his room and flicked on the lights. Loki cringed at the sudden brightness and clamped his eyes shut before warily opening them. A red head was sitting complacently on the corner chair that Steve had so recently vacated. She had her arms crossed and was leaning back against the cushion with a skeptical look on her face. Loki sighed, this was bound to be a long day. He hadn't been looking forward to when Barton and his lady were chosen to stalk him about, but apparently it was coming sooner than he would have liked. He shut the door and walked over to one of the sofas, for he pointedly noticed that there were no sharp edges in this room which happened to include wooden chairs, and sat down. "So, what are you here for?" He asked casually.

"Obviously, I am here to be your nanny. But let us set things straight here. I neither want to be here, nor do I enjoy your company. I would much rather be shot at by the Russian mafia because then I'd be allowed to shoot back. So let's set things straight between us." Natasha leaned forward and stared at Loki. "I am not here to pander to your needs, but I am also not here to make your life interesting. I'm here to make sure you don't get yourself hurt like an idiot, got it? So don't expect me to be fun and games."

Loki raised an eyebrow at her. A small hint of a smile crossed his face at her serious speech. "I must say, Romanoff, your honesty is rather refreshing. All of this nonsense about me being like porcelain has irritated me. I do believe you are the only person in this building that had told me that they explicitly do not want me around. Let me set some things straight as well." Loki's cocky smile dropped off his face, and he looked at Natasha with a forlorn face. "I will not bother to please you if you obviously care very little. I am tired and annoyed with all of you as I know you are with me. Let us not harbor any secrets as to the intentions of the other. We both know that we would both much rather be alone."

Natasha sent Loki a dubious look before saying, "You're just annoyed with everyone and everything, aren't you? Your face," Natasha gestured towards Loki, "it's familiar. I've seen that face before, but on someone else's face. On mine."

Natasha ran an exasperated hand through her hair. She really was frustrated with Loki, but whenever she looked at him, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. She just saw too much of herself in him. If Clint hadn't found her then, she had no doubt that she'd look very much like how Loki did now. She hated being around him because he was like a specter of what she could have become, but she didn't hate him.

Loki tilted his head to the side in skepticism of her words. Was she really comparing him to herself? All of these Avengers must be brought together because they have some sort of mental stupidity disorder. Loki shook his head a moment later and said, "You must be joking, woman. I may hate, but I do not believe that I resemble you in the slightest. We are on two different sides, you and I. Do not think that we share any of our traits."

"I never said that it was the me of know that you resembled," said Natasha with a shake of her head. "It's about Odin, isn't it?" At the revulsion on Loki's face, she knew she had struck a nerve. "You've worked so hard just to satisfy the images people create of you that you're losing yourself in them. Don't take me for a meddler, Loki. I've experienced the same thing. I looked up to my leader and thought that he was the ultimate authority in my life. Everything I did back then was to earn his praise, but Clint changed that. I learned that to truly be happy, I had to do things to please myself. You would do well to do the same."

"I can't just do that, Romanoff." Loki cut back angrily. "The liesmith is just as much a part of my identity as the fact that I am born of Laufey. One cannot change two millennia of dedication because of a few words. I hate that man, do not get me wrong, but that does not mean that I would ever wish him ill. I cannot bring myself to wish him the gravest of afflictions. I care too much when I do not wish to care. If it was as easy to move on as you say, then I would have done so long ago. I want to see him despair, but I do not want to see him hurt. I want him to repent, but I do not want to see him on his knees. How can I ever move on if I am still so conflicted?"

"I'm not telling you to stop caring for him, Loki," Natasha said calmly. She stood up from her chair and went to sit beside Loki. Loki scooted ever so slightly away from her, and Natasha rolled her eyes. She looked over to him and said, "What I'm telling you to do is to stop idolizing him. You're telling me that you hate him, but it's obvious to me that you still hold him up in high regard."

Loki shook his head. "It is not that easy. I have tried to talk myself out of it, but I cannot. I have thrown away the name of Odinsson, but I still look up to him like some sort of lost dog. I want to stop waiting for him to come through that door and ask for forgiveness, but I cannot. What is worst is knowing that he is watching me right now. He sacrificed his eye for all-knowledge. He knows exactly what I suffer, but he does nothing to change. He cares not for me at all, and I know it. The way I am is pathetic."

Natasha sighed and patted him softly on the shoulder. "You're not pathetic, Loki. You're just longing for attention. I don't think you're a bad guy at heart. You've shown yourself too sensitive for that, but you're longing for attention from all the wrong people. Some people will care for you without requiring you to jump through a thousand hoops. You just need to pick the right people."

Loki looked dubious as she stood up and walked over towards the door. "I'll go grab your food since I honestly doubt you want to eat with the rest of us. You're not stupid enough to try anything, so just stew over what I said. I'll be back." Natasha gave a backhanded wave and exited the room, shutting the door behind her. She twisted the small key in the lock and headed down the hallway to the elevator.

In the hallway, Clint was casually leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. At the sound of the door being shut, one eye opened, and he looked to see Natasha coming his way. He pushed himself off the wall and walked over to her. "How was he?"

Natasha cast a glance backwards to the closed door and then back to Clint, "You know, I don't think he's so bad after all."

**Author's Note: Hey y'all! My mood has been pretty off recently, so I hope this came out well. xD Life has been awful recently because... well... I'm socially awkward. And stuffing a socially awkward person into a group of 28 kids is like asking for trouble. My day was not happy. I'll try to keep on schedule though! ;DD**

**Just a reminder to PM me if you're interested in joining May and my avengers/x-men tumblr roleplay! Only Jean Grey, Natasha, Tony, and Loki are taken. (: **

**Thanks for reading! Luff y'all!**


	17. You're Not Sorry

All this time I was wasting  
Hoping you would come around  
I've been giving out chances every time  
And all you do is let me down  
**-You're Not Sorry by Taylor Swift**

The weeks had gone by smoothly. Loki could see the Avengers loosening up their watch on him. There were fifteen to twenty minute gaps where they would just leave him alone instead of having someone on constant watch. It was... pleasant. He detested their company as much as ever, but he appreciated the fact that they left him alone once and awhile. He had taken up the hobby of reading, though he had to convince them that he would not bash his head in. He mostly dabbled in the classics like Shakespeare and Dickens, but he was moving slowly up to more modern works.

It was on a day such as these when Loki had been enjoying the Merchant of Venice, that the Avengers Mansion received unexpected visitors. "Anthony Stark and Loki Laufeyson to the front desk please. I repeat, Anthony Stark and Loki Laufeyson to the front desk." From the corner of the room, Clint raised an eyebrow. It was rare that the front desk lady ever called for Loki. In fact, it had never happened since Loki was originally brought here. The event was something that brought them all out of whatever stupors they were in. Bruce and Steve shared a look before silently deciding that they would all go to see these visitors.

The elevator ride down was cramped as they all tried to squeeze into an elevator that was far far too small for them. But when they reached the bottom, Loki found that he would have rather stayed in that cramped compartment for a few hours than be out in the lobby. A black haired woman stood at the front desk with her arms crossed tightly in front of her. Beside her, a man with blonde hair and beard was conversing animatedly with the receptionist. Noticing that the Avengers had descended, the two turned to look at the group of heroes.

"Thor, my brother!" Fandral said with a loud laugh as he rushed over to give the man a slap on the shoulder. "It has been far too long. How have you been?"

"I am well, Fandral. But what are you doing here?" Thor had not been the only one to notice how Loki immediately shrunk back at the appearance of the blonde Asgardian. Sif cast the god of mischief a scathing look before turning to Thor.

"We're here to extend to you an invitation to come back to Asgard of course! You and Loki both actually. Odin has missed your company and wishes for you to return to his side. Come with us for we have missed you all dearly. The halls of Valhalla grow empty without you there!" Fandral said cheerily, oblivious to the scorn with which his invitation was met.

"Are you joking?" Loki said incredulously. He took a step back towards the elevator and shook his head. "It disgusts me that you have the heart to waltz right in here and declare everything to be well. Invite me back to Asgard? You must be mistaken for I am sure that invitation applies only to Thor." Loki gestured his head over to Thor before sneering. "I cannot believe that you even have the dignity to appear like this. Did you really believe that all would be well and forgotten after only a few weeks' time? Your sense of humor is dry, Fandral. I do not find your jest amusing in the slightest." Loki's voice lowered to a growl, causing Steve to take a step closer to the man.

Steve looked from Fandral to Loki and back again before saying, "Maybe this isn't the right time."

"No time will be right," snapped Loki angrily. Steve put his hand on the man's shoulder in an attempt to calm him, but Loki merely shook it off. "If he is too cowardly to come down here and look at me in the face, then I want nothing to do with him. It is Thor you want, not I. Take him and leave if you must, but I shall not return to his side no matter what he has told you to say."

"Brother!" Thor exclaimed. "Do you not want to talk to Odin about what he has done? This may be the only opportunity to go back and talk to him. If he closes off the rainbow bridge, then we may not get another chance for many years!"

"You just want to visit him again. Do not make this offer under pretenses of my best interest. Why should I go to a man like a pitiful child when he is the one that needs to apologize?" Loki despaired.

"Odin has no need to apologize to you, liesmith. What has been wrought upon you was brought upon you by yourself and only yourself," said Sif. Fandral hurried to put a hand on her shoulder and pull her back, but the damage had been done. The hot-headed beauty's words had hurt Loki more than she would have expected.

Loki quieted before turning back to the elevator and storming back inside it, calling over his shoulder, "Asgardians are stubborn people, Odinsson. Do not think that they would change their minds so quickly. Even if they are wrong, they'll fight for their original point until the day they die." If one listened closely enough, they would hear how his voice broke at the end. Bruce frowned at this and moved into the elevator with Natasha quick to follow after him.

Thor stood helplessly looking from his brother to Sif and Fandral. As the elevator door closed, Thor realized that he had lost his chance to convince his brother otherwise. He gritted his teeth and turned on Sif, "What have you done, Sif?"

Sif frowned at his dropping of 'lady' like he had always done in the past. "It is not as if I lied or anything. I stated the facts. He took the throne in your absence and tried to wage war against the Jotuns! What kind of a man is he if he willingly killed his own father? Patricide is not approved of in most worlds, Thor. He has inherited blood of ice, and that will never change. A moth cannot become a butterfly merely because it wants to."

"That is not the same, Sif! Loki has changed. If you had only seen him over the past few weeks. He has tried to become well again. I know there is good in him, Sif. If only you'd give him the chance!" Thor said angrily to the black haired woman.

Sif crossed her arms tightly and gave Thor a disbelieving look. "Do not ask me to forget what I have just seen, Thor. I saw anger and resentment. Those two things are what revenge and destruction are bred from. He has not yet changed his tune yet, Thor. Do not let your affection for him blind you from what he really is. His race is of no consequence to me, what matters is his heart. And from what I have seen, it is yet black. He will rise again to take vengeance against us all. You are the only thing preventing me from throwing him in the eternal prison, keep that in mind."

Thor growled, but said nothing.

Upstairs, Loki stormed out of the elevator and down the hall to his room. He flung open the door and marched over to the couch, snagging one of the pillows and hurling it against the wall. It was the only show of displeasure that he could manage considering he couldn't explode anything anymore.

"Odin is a coward!" Loki yelled in aggravation, "A man that is not brave enough to see me face to face when he does not have the field advantage. He has to be surrounded by hundreds of soldiers before he is willing to see me. What leader has Asgard if Odin hides in his pathetic hole while sending his men here to fetch me!" Loki heaved and sat down on the couch.

Natasha and Bruce shared a look. It was hard to know what to say. They didn't want to agree with Odin, but they also didn't want to agree with Loki. "I know that he may be being ruling Asgard, but..." Loki hung his head. "Was he too busy to try and come visit? I..." Loki's voice dropped off as he sighed.

"It could be both, Loki. He might not have intended to send them if he had any other choice, but perhaps he was busy. You don't know what was really the cause unless you visit. Perhaps Odin has recanted of his choice, but has not been able to visit you? This could be the chance for you two to reconcile." Bruce offered.

"Please tell me that you are joking, Banner," Natasha scoffed. "Forgiving that man shouldn't even be on the table. You can't trust him enough to not do something like this again. You should just continue saying "screw you" and move on. Don't forget our conversation a few weeks ago, Loki."

"What?" Bruce said incredulously. "Don't say that, Natasha. We want them to reconcile!"

"Oh do we?" Natasha said with a roll of her eyes. "I personally think the old man needs to leave Loki and Thor alone. He's been an awful father and has been given multiple chances. He's just going to screw up again. I'm trying to save Loki heartache here, unlike you." She waved her hand and looked away from Bruce who was rubbing his forehead in irritation.

"They're family! They should be given the chance to reconcile with one another, Natasha. Just because you don't have a family doesn't mean that others shouldn't have one as well." Bruce said sharply.

Natasha whirled around and stared at Bruce venomously. "How dare you bring that up!" She opened her mouth to say more, but Loki interrupted her.

"Will both of you just shut up! Just leave me alone! I want silence, so stop inflicting your blasted opinions upon the world. It's annoying!" Loki burst out with a wave of his hands. He pointed one towards the door and the two Avengers shared a look. Natasha sighed and turned away sharply and marched proudly out the door.

Loki looked over to Bruce, who was standing still where he was. Loki snorted. "It looks like it was too much to ask be allowed to be think in solitude."

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey all! I hope you like this chapter. (: I'm trying to get the plot moving, so I hope you like the development! Thanks so much for supporting me and continuing to read this chapters! :D And I really appreciated all the support after having a few bad days. :)**

**Next chapter will be up on Tuesday! **


	18. Bruises Never Heal

The fire came and went  
took everything away  
The bruises never heal  
I tried to take a breath  
to say what wasn't said  
but there is nothing left of me no, there is nothing left.**  
-What We Will Never Know by Innerpartysystem**

"I really do not understand you Midgardians. It is not as if I wounded him in battle or drew my sword. I reiterated what we all already knew and it is as simple as that. You are all overestimating what I have done." Sif rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall, crossing her arms. Ever since Loki had marched off, the Midgardians had all decided it was the proper time to gang up on her and make her feel as if she had done something wrong. Sif didn't understand it at all. She didn't cause Loki to kill his own father or to try and get rid of Thor. That was all his own doing, so why was Odin taking all the fall?

"Words are just as sharp as steel," said Steve. He was normally an advocate for solving things peacefully, diplomatically. But now, he felt himself aggravated at how Sif was rushing into things. Loki was sensitive, even Steve knew that. Telling him right up to his face that he was a liar was one of the stupidest things possible at the current time. Steve worried just thinking about how far this could have set Loki back. He hoped what Sif had done wasn't impossible to fix.

"But they do not cut anything," Sif replied smoothly. Fandral looked between the two with a hesitant look in his eyes. He had not expected it to turn out like this. He had rather thought that the two would be happy to be welcome back and then everything would return to some semblance of normality. However, it seemed that this would not be the case. Fandral sighed.

"The skin is not the only thing that can be cut. You hurt his feelings which is definitely enough. Be more careful with your words." Thor murmured from his spot at the table. He was rapping his fingers on the table impatiently. Tony had advised him not to go to Loki after Natasha had come back a few minutes earlier. It probably would have been unwise to engage him when he was already in such a foul mood. It was best to let the Asgardian cool off a bit.

Sif raised her eyebrow before shaking her head. It was of no use arguing with people who she would never understand. The bing of the elevator sounded, and she looked over to see Loki and Bruce walking out of the elevator. Finally, perhaps now something would happen. Loki walked over to the small group and said, "I will not be returning." His eyes were cast down and he avoided making eye contact with Sif, Fandral, and Thor. His voice was resolute, but it was always that way. He would never make himself appear weak if he could help it. "I will not delay you any longer."

Thor's heart clenched, and he sighed. "I will make a short journey back to Asgard, but I will return shortly." He acutely noticed Loki's small start and knew that he'd have to explain himself. "I want only to ask the allfather a few questions about what he has done, and no more."

Loki stared at the ground and almost laughed. Of course, he 'just wanted to ask the allfather a few questions'. It was layman's terms for wanting to go back to Odin's side. Thor was loyal, that Loki knew. But it just depended on who he was loyal to, and obviously, it was Odin. "Go back to your leader then, Odinsson. I would not want you back again. Take your time, for they obviously wish for you to return." Loki gestured over to Sif who had moved over to Thor's side.

"Brother, you know that is not what I meant!" Thor pleaded as he stood up from his chair. A part of him knew it would be fruitless. Loki had not called him Odinsson for the longest time now. He took a step towards Loki only to have the other man step away.

"And they call me the liar? I think they underestimate you, Odinsson. You're the greatest liar of all because you make everyone think that you care only for them to be mistaken." Loki bit out before turning away. He stormed away from the ground with his teeth tightly clenched. Bruce and Clint shared a look before turning to follow after the black-haired Asgardian.

Thor stared after his brother's back with sad eyes. He wanted to go after Loki and explain things, but he knew it would do no good. "Let us go to Asgard," he said softly. Fandral put a hand on his friend's shoulder before nodding to Sif. The headed outside the Avengers Mansion before communicating back up to Asgard.

-Words Like Thor's-

The hall doors swung open with a slam as Thor forced his way into the great hall. Odin sat in his chair, looking down at Thor. Thor couldn't help but feel that Odin looked down on the world as well. "Welcome back, my son. It is good to see you again." His voice was gentle, so gentle that Thor almost took it for kindness.

"You ask not for your other son. Why?" Thor demanded, stepping closer to the throne.

"I knew he would not come, no matter how much I wish him to." Odin looked away, a frown playing on his lips.

"Then why do you not go to him? You cannot truly desire his ill, do you? A part of me believes that to be the case, but the other cannot believe that you would truly be so cruel. Tell me now, do you care for him or not?" Thor bellowed, marching up the stairs to where Odin sat.

Odin stood up suddenly and turned to stare at Thor, "I have raised him for thousands of years! Do not think that I do not care for him, but my obligations lie everywhere! From the babe on Midgard who just lost his parents to the dwarf on Svartalfaheim. I have a duty to them all, not just those on Asgard. Over the past few weeks, I have stopped wars from being fought, droughts from occurring, and dictators from coming to rule. I do not have the time to save one when millions are calling my name!" Odin thundered.

It was only then that Thor saw the tire in his father's face. Odin was supposed to have rested during the Odinsleep, but now he still seemed tired. Thor took a deep breath in and sighed. "I cannot forgive you for what you have done, but I understand your obligations. But," Thor turned up to look at Odin with a resolute expression, "this is my final warning. Go to Midgard and talk to Loki. If not, you will never see us again."

Odin frowned at his son's ultimatum and sighed. "Frigga and Heimdallr can manage without me for a few days, I suppose... Will he be willing to see me though? When I look at him now, I see great hatred for me. His feelings are too tumultuous, for I cannot tell if he would receive me well or ill."

Thor gave a soft smile. "He'd appreciate the visit more than you'd know.

* * *

**Author's Note: Drama! Woohoo! I hope you liked the chapter. (: I feel.. Kinda dead. I need mental re-energizing! In any case, thanks so much for continuing to read this story! I really appreciate it. Review and tell me any comments or questions? :D**


	19. The Last Sound

And what if it makes you laugh now but you cry as you fall asleep  
And what if it takes your breath and you can't hardly breathe  
And what if it makes the last sound be the very best sound  
**-What if by Safetysuit**

Thor walked down the path to the rainbow bridge with a smile on his face. He looked over his shoulder to see Odin walking calmly behind him. The man was the picture of regality as his cape blew behind him. His strides were calm and easy; it was as if he wasn't meeting the son that had shunned him. Looking on Odin relaxed him a bit. At least one of them was relaxed. Thor was much more worried than he would have liked to believe. Would Loki reject them? Thor hoped not, but all he could do was hope everything would be well.

He turned back to the path and marched into the chambers. Odin walked behind him and stuck Gungnir into the Bifrost generator, sending energy running through its core. "Let us go, my son." Odin walked past Thor and over to the now open generator. The pathway danced with a thousand lights that reached out to the two Asgardians. Odin let the energy pull him into its vortex leaving Thor alone for a moment. Thor stood there, thinking. He hoped that he had done right and that at the end of this, maybe, just maybe, they would be a family once more.

He stepped forward and let himself be carried down to earth, following after his father.

-Words Like Thor's-

"You must be joking," said Loki. His brow quirked up at the mere foolishness of the other's statement. "Odin, coming back to see me? To show some sort of caring for me? How foolish you must be. I share no such sentiments for the man considering all that has happened. It would be naive to believe that he had heart enough to try and come. There would be "too much to do" or "other responsibilities to take care of". But less you think me emotionless, I do not hate the man. I just do not believe that he has the heart to care for the one he calls his son." Loki crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't say that, Loki. Everyone makes mistakes," Loki snorted, "but that doesn't mean you can't forgive him. I know that he would never purposefully do that to harm you. It's not as if he took you in and cared for you all those years just to see you suffer now." Bruce said diplomatically. He honestly only believed half of what he said. He personally believed that Odin was cruel, but he didn't ever want to give up hope on someone. There was someone that said that no matter how dark it was, love and hope were always possible. Bruce believed it, and he only hoped that Loki did the same. Otherwise, the world would become too dark.

"A mistake would not have been forseen for months if not years. He had any number of days to prevent it from happening, I'm sure. He did not. It's more than just a mistake. It's purposefully ill-intentions." Loki retorted.

"Loki." Tony looked at the Asgardian seriously. It reminded Loki of the time in the hospital, and it unnerved him just as much as it did then. "Don't let your father go just like that. Not all things are as they seem, and before you know it, it may be too late. Don't leave things on the wrong foot."

Loki fell silent at that, knowing Tony's own situation with his father. Loki bit his lip. Tony probably knew better than anyone what it was like to lose a father, more so than Loki. Loki knew that Tony probably envied him for the fact that he still had the chance to make it up to Odin. He sighed and said, "All right. I will... I will try to tolerate him. But I will not say anything more than that. And that is if he actually arrives."

Tony smiled softly before patting Loki's shoulder, "Just do your best, eh? It can't hurt... much." Tony's normal gri n slipped back onto his face as a flash of light came from outside. "Hmm? Poptart man must be back then!"

Thor walked through the doors, unaware of the many cars that were now swerving outside because of him. He had a huge smile on his face as he boomed out, "My brother! We have arrived!" We? Loki blanched. Thor didn't seriously mean that...

From behind Thor, Odin stepped out and walked over to Loki, who was standing dumbstruck. He honestly couldn't believe that Odin had come for him. He opened his mouth before shutting it again. Odin was here. He didn't know what to think. The bearded man walked calmly over to Loki, his seamless grace attracting the attention of everyone in the lobby. He stopped in front of Loki and said, "I am here now, my son."

Loki snapped out of his trance and said, "I am not your son. And I know you think not of me as such. What are your true intentions for coming here?" All thoughts of the previous conversation with Bruce and Tony went out the window. His heart was racing, and he felt himself beginning to panic. He didn't want to face looking at Odin, but he was here. He fought the desire to hex the man and instead a pained expression crept onto his face.

Thor frowned in puzzlement, "But my brother, isn't this what you wanted? I thought you wanted father to come and visit you down here."

"Yes, but of his own volition. I cannot willfully believe that _he_," Loki said the word venomously, "came here on his own free will. He is not the type to do such a thing. There must be some sort of bribery or alternative reasoning other than coming for my sake."

Thor scrunched his face up in confusion before sighing, "Brother, you won't ever get what you want if you keep on denying everything. Can't you just take for granted that father is here for your sake?"

"He is here for his son, not for the frost giant." Bit out Loki. "He wants to make up with you, not me."

"son," Loki looked towards Odin with a glare, "I apologize for everything I have done to you. I want you to forgive me for my ignorance."

Loki fell silent.

* * *

**Author's Note: Don't kill me! I'm already writing up the next chapter, but this is where we'll leave off for now. What do you think will happen? ;o **

**Sorry I updated late on Tuesday, by the way. I'll try to keep on schedule from now on. ;-; Well, I'll see you all Tuesday! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! :D**


	20. Torture For My Sins

Do you really want me  
Do you really want me dead or alive  
To torture for my sins  
**-Hurricane by 30 Seconds to Mars**

"Ha." Loki gave a hollowed laugh. Odin had apologized? Really? Loki's laugh slowly grew loud until he broke out into a manic cackle. He doubled over, a hand over his mouth to shield some of his laughter from escaping. "HAHAHAHA!" His voice cracked and his eyes darkened with rage. Steve jumped at the chilling sound.

"Loki?" He asked, taking a step nearer. The blonde's concern was evident on his face. Loki had always been calm and collected, this was so unlike him. Had Loki been pushed too far? The Asgardian didn't appear to be happy at the apology, but why? Hadn't he wanted this?

"Oh, that is a good one. 'I want you to forgive me'?" Loki chortled, a deranged smile spreading across his face. "An order as always, my dear Odin. Do you think you can command me into submission like you always have? You cannot just mandate me into forgiveness. Did you really think that would work on me?" The maniacal grin fell of his face. "You must be joking. Did you really think you would be able to trick the trickster? Look at yourself!" Loki bellowed out angrily. "Your palms are sweaty, your eyes flicked upwards when you talked, your left leg clenched, and your voice fell at the end. I have lived with you for over a thousand years, _Father_." Loki said mockingly, "Do you not think I know what you look like when you lie? I would be stupid if I did not know!"

Not leaving Odin a chance to respond, Loki continued, "Oh yes, that is what you must think of me as. A stupid brat that has managed to secure the devotion of his darling son. You always thought of me as some kind of possession, I would nor doubt that you ignored me just because I was a piece of pottery that did not need your valuable attention." Loki spat out, glaring vehemently at Odin.

"Loki, you are overreacting. I am sure that father did not mea-" Thor began, but Loki cut him off.

"I see you are back to calling him father again. It looks like a papa's boy cannot forsake the name of Odinsson for very long, did you? And ohh, how sweet it is to see you back on his side once more. I should not have been stupid enough to think that you would ever choose me over him," snarled Loki.

Thor flinched at the sound of Loki's voice. "Brother, you know that is not true. I love you, but I love you both. We are a family, Loki, and I just want us to be together once more!" He moved towards Loki, trying to comfort him, only to be pushed back.

"I am not your brother. Do not forget what I am, Odinsson." Loki looked away, unshed tears in his eyes. "A thousand years of stories about how the Jotuns terrorized all of Asgard did not teach you anything, did it? Everything was a lie back then, and it is now! And they call _me_ the liesmith? What a joke. Lie to me for a thousand years and I am the god of lies?"

"Son, do not twist my words." Odin said calmly, knowing that if he neared Loki, he would only provoke him more.

"ME?" Loki demanded. "You never take the blame upon yourself. It is an Asgardian pride, is it not? Why am **I** the one twisting words? You're only proving that you lied. You are not sorry! If you're sorry for anything, it's that you have to come down here and be in my loathsome presence."

He took a step back from all of them, shaking his head. "You are all liars. All of you." He clutched at his head and screamed, "ALL OF YOU!" A pulse of magical energy escaped Loki, sending a bolt of electricity up his arm. He dropped on one knee, eyes widening. Bruce was the first to respond and rushed over to Loki's side. Loki's head whipped up towards Bruce as he yelled, "GET AWAY FROM ME!" A second wave of energy shot out from Loki, sending Bruce tumbling back.

Loki let out a cry as another wave of electricity rolled over him. He got increasingly more desperate as he looked wildly around him. He felt like a cornered animal, maybe he was a cornered animal. He held a hand over his mouth and gave out a choking laughing. "It was all a lie. None of you, _Avengers_ would ever care about me. I have done too much, killed too many. No one can love me. I cannot be forgiven! It is impossible!"

"No, it's not! Loki, what about all the afternoons we spent with each other? We spent time with you because we loved you!" Clint yelled, trying to get through to Loki. It was true. He hadn't been keen on Loki's arrival, but he couldn't deny that the many was fun to be around.

"SHUT UP!" Loki yelled, glaring angrily at Clint. "It is only because I have not seen the signs! I do not know the signs of your lies like I know Odin's. I am a monster, no one can **love** me!" Loki shook in fury. The more he spoke, the more he convinced himself that it was the truth.

The cuff around his wrist beeped erratically, sending off warning signals as the cuff reached its limit. Loki's breathing began to accelerate as he fought the cuff's effects. Finally, the cuff had taken enough. The red light flickered out and the cuff exploding, sending bits and pieces all over. Shards of metal dug into Loki's skin and blood trickled down his face.

Loki hardly registered the pain. He was running on too much adrenaline now. All he knew was that he had to escape their prying eyes. He hated the way that they all looked at him. Pity, their eyes were filled with pity, and he _loathed_ it.

"Just leave me alone." Loki snarled the words out before taking off past the Avengers and running out into the city.

The Avengers all stood still for a moment before Tony broke the silence, "What have we done?"

* * *

**Author's Note: Betcha didn't see that one coming. I hope you all won't come after me with pitchforks and torches now. BUT LET ME EXPLAIN MYSELF FIRST! I can normally tell when my friends are lying to me because of how they act, so this isn't just random stuff. The more you know people, the better you know their quirks. Like someone I know shrugs their left shoulder ever so slightly. Most people don't notice these things, but I think Loki would. There, I said it. Don't murder me. **

**I'll go crawl into my little corner and cry with my Loki plushie now... Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	21. Cry At My Funeral

Just open your eyes  
And see that life is beautiful.  
Will you swear on your life,  
That no one will cry at my funeral?  
-**Life is Beautiful by Sixx A.M.**

"You fool!" Steve clenched his fist before hurling it at Odin. The Allfather took the punch, looking away from the angry man. "What do you think you have done? It was worse for you to come and lie, than if you had never come at all! Just get out of here. You've already done enough damage for the day." Steve took a step back from Odin, shaking his head. "I hope you're satisfied." He turned on his heels and sprinted out of the doors, running after Loki.

Clint and Natasha shared a glance with each other before running after Loki. They couldn't afford to lose the Asgardian's tail especially since they had lost the GPS tracker. They sent a venomous glare at Odin before vanishing into the crowd outside.

Thor collapsed on the chair just behind him and rubbed a hand through his hair. How had things turned out like this? He had only wanted things to turn out well, but now it seemed that everything was falling apart. He didn't know what to do. Should he run after Loki or would it be like Steve had said? Would his presence only make things worse for Loki since he would be a reminder of Odin? Thor growled and swung his fist down on the table, creating a dent in the surface. He gritted his teeth and lowered his head; he hated all of this!

Odin clenched his hand and closed his eyes. He shook ever so slightly before his eyes shot open. His arm snapped out towards one of the metal chairs. The chair rose into the air before Odin hurled it across the lobby. People screamed and ran out of the way, trying to escape the wrath of Odin. "Did I not tell you that this would happen? I should have never come in the first place." Odin growled.

"I believed you! I thought you cared for Loki, so do not turn this around on me! I obviously made the mistake in thinking that you had a heart!" Thor yelled back, angrily. He was tired of Odin always placing the blame on someone else. Even now, Odin made it seem as if it was Thor's fault that this happened.

"I am going to finish this," said Odin shortly. "Come, Thor. We have work to do."

Thor screwed his face up in confusion. "What are you talking about? Loki needs us right now, no, he needs me, not you." Thor glared at Odin, his hand yearning for Mjolnir. The ever present hammer was gone when he needed it most.

"We are going to do what you and those Avengers failed to do last time." Odin stared coldly back at Thor. "Loki has proven himself to be too wild and too reckless. He will always endanger those on Midgard and Asgard. There is only one way to solve this." A churning coldness filled Thor's chest, and Thor's chest clenched. "We will kill Loki."

"**Why**!" Thor yelled. "Loki is your son! Why do you not care for him at all? Would you so willingly kill him just because he feels and has emotions?"

"Yes. If I have to, I will." Odin snapped back. "I have seen Loki's future. If it continues the way it is going, it will only end is more death and suffering. Killing him would be a mercy to him if only because he would not have to suffer that fate."

"This could have all been avoided if you only felt compassion!" Thor thundered. "And now you think of killing him? I am disgraced to be called your son. I hope you feel all the pain from all the hate that is now set upon you, but know that whatever you feel..." Thor shook his head, "Loki's pain is ten times worse than that." Thor growled before storming up and out of the building, leaving Odin alone.

-Words Like Thor's-

Loki's heart beat fast and his legs screamed at him as he tore through the streets. The cacophony of people's voices echoed around him. Some were happy and some were sad, but all of them made him feel resentful. At least they all had people that loved them. Pain ran through his heart as he thought of the place he had just left. He had always known that Odin felt little to nothing for him, but he had never wanted to realize it. But now, it was so blatantly in front of him that it stung.

His fair skin began turning blue as darkness crept over the side of his face. Seeing this, the people around him began to shift away, leaving him a wide berth. The action wasn't unnoticed by Loki. They wanted nothing to do with him. They didn't even know him and they thought of him as a demon. Demon, the word rung in Loki's mind.

_Frost Giants? They're cruel emotionless monsters. It's a pain that we haven't just marched in and slayed them all. They're a breed of savages that deserve to be slaughtered. _

_If you don't eat your vegetables, the Frost Giants will kidnaps you!_

_Let's play Frost Giants and Asgardians! I call being the Asgardian cause I do not want to be an evil Frost Giant. _

His breathing accelerated as more of the thoughts began to cloud his head.

_Frost Giants are right difficult to kill, but there's nothing more satisfying than seeing their blood on your blade. _

_Have you heard of the story of when Odin slayed a thousand Jotuns in a single night?_

_And then Odin slayed the mighty Jotun and everyone lived happily ever after!_

"I AM NOT A MONSTER!" Loki screamed, collapsing onto his knees. Magical energy flooded out of him, throwing passersby off their feet and slamming into the buildings. Glass shattered and cars swung wildly into one another. His eyes widened as he realized what he had done, and he held himself tight. Why hadn't those blasted Avengers just let him die all those weeks ago?

A loud rumble met his ears and Loki looked up to see a massive chunk of brick and mortar falling from the sky. He stared up at it as it slowly fell. In his head, he could only hear one thing. Thor's voice. _You're a talented liar brother, always have been._ Loki closed his eyes and let the mound fall on top of him.

**Author's Note: You guys have no idea how much it breaks me to write this. ;-; I feel so bad for Loki right now... /weeps/ **

**S: I'm so glad you like it! :D I'm glad to have another Loki sympathizer. And I agree, villains are not born; they are made. **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! ;3; I love you all!**


	22. Left A Hole

You take the breath right out of me  
You left a hole where my heart should be  
**-Breath by Breaking Benjamin**

"Loki!" Steve ran through the throngs of people that were all running away. He shoved his way past the screaming people before breaking through to the clearing. His blue eyes stared ahead to where Loki was. Steve followed Loki's gaze to where he saw a hulking mass of brick falling from the sky. He looked back down to Loki to see the man staring up with a forlorn expression and it clicked. Loki wasn't going to move.

"No!" Steve ran towards Loki. Time slowed as he ran towards the Asgardian. Loki's head turned towards Steve, and he gave a sad smile. Steve's eyes widened as he saw the blue that had grown along the side of Loki's face, and then the bricks fell.

Tony skidded to a stop midair, hovering above the rubble. "Oh no..." Tony dropped down to the ground and began shoveling away the bricks. He looked back over his shoulder to Steve and yelled, "Get over here and help!"

Steve started before running over. He grasped a large chunk of rubble in his hands before tossing it back over his shoulder. His heart beat fast. He couldn't get over the look he had seen in Loki's eyes. It was too familiar. It looked too much like the look he had given at the breakfast table all those weeks ago. Loki had given up. His magic restraints had been removed. He could have teleported; Steve knew he could have. He had chosen not to escape.

Steve broke through a cave of stone, and the bricks came tumbling down. He scraped away a few of the clumps and saw a crumpled hand. Steve's heart froze in his throat. "Tony! Help me!" Tony flew over to where Steve ways and helped toss away the brick.

Dust filled the air as they cleared away the rubble. Then a queer sound was heard. It sounded like air escaping out of a balloon. A low wheeze that came out as a weak sort of laugh. They threw away the rocks to see Loki lying on the ground, tears coming from the corners of his eyes. Half of his face was deformed, ripped apart by some brick. Blood trickled down the side of his face, forming a puddle on the ground. A slab of rock still lay over his chest, crushing it into an awkward shape.

Steve pushed the slab off and bent down beside Loki. The black haired man laughed sadly as Steve did so. He looked over to where Tony was and gave a sad smile. With the brick gone from his face and the stone gone from his chest, they watched something strange happen. Muscle crawled over the injuries, securing back into place. Filaments and veins began making their way back into position, glowing an eerie red against his pale flesh. Lastly, his skin crept over the ridges of muscle and blood to tie itself back into place.

Tony grimaced at the strange proceedings. Was Loki regenerating himself? A loud crack was heard as Loki's ribs snapped back into place. Loki coughed as air made its way back into his lungs. "Isn't it funny?" He croaked, "Not even this kind of injury can kill me."

That was Tony remembered what Thor had told him earlier. There were two ways an Asgardian could die. Disintegration or being drained completely of their magical force. That meant that it was almost impossible for Loki to die from a physical injury.

Tony reached out to touch Loki only to have his hand pass through the form. The illusion flickered before disappearing, and Tony looked up to see Loki stepping away from the wreckage. He shook his head from side to side. "Do not touch me!" Loki yelled, holding himself tightly. He clamped his eyes shut and tried to close out all the sounds. He heard all the screams of people weeping for the dead and dying. They were deaths that he had caused, again. It was always his fault.

"Look at everyone! They're right. They're all right! I'm a monster! There's no way I can be anything but a monster!" The woman crying over her now dead child, the man who just lost his legs, Loki had caused all that. Their pained cries were all knives to his heart. He had never wanted to hurt anyone. He had just wanted to be accepted by Odin! He thought that maybe he could prove himself as a military commander, that was all Asgardians wanted, but in the end he was still a monster. Nothing could change the blood that ran through his veins.

"No, Loki! You're not a monster! A monster is a person that enjoys causing death. You aren't that person!" Steve called back, taking another step towards Loki. Loki noticed this and leaped back away from them.

"No, being a monster is something that I inherited!" Loki yelled. A small blue spiral appeared on his left cheek before slowly growing out. It slipped across his face, causing his eyes to turn red. Steve and Tony halted. They had never seen Thor or Loki do anything like this before. "The Jotuns have been doomed from the moment Ymir was slain! It's our fate to wage war and kill! It's impossible to break the cycle!"

Before Tony could protest, Loki held out his hands before him and let out a blast of chilling wind. Steve tumbled back a few feet before rolling out of the way of the block of ice that headed his way. Tony dived at Loki, trying to restrain him, only to have his thrusters frozen. Tony tumbled to the ground, his suit scratching against the concrete. Loki stepped away to be tackled by Steve. Loki grunted before vaporizing his way out of the hold, appearing a few steps away.

He stomped a foot on the ground, causing ice spikes to protrude from the surface, heading towards Steve and Tony. Steve dived out of the way, dearly wishing that he had his shield right now. He didn't even have his suit because he had planned for this just to be a casual day. He didn't want to hurt Loki, but he also didn't want Loki to hurt himself or anyone else. Steve gritted his teeth. He'd have to risk getting up close. "Loki! You don't have to do this!" He pleaded.

Why was Loki doing this? Did he not want to hurt anyone? The gears whirred in Steve's brain before it finally clicked. "Loki, stop!" Loki's gaze met Steve's and for a moment, he gave the saddest smile and shook his head. He put his palms together before pulling them apart, letting a swirl of mystical power explode out. Ice shot out from the ball, growing along the buildings and creeping along the ground.

Tony grabbed Steve under the shoulders and hauled him up from the ground as the ice coursed beneath them. A woman standing too close got wrapped up in the ice, freezing her in place. They watched in horror as the ice expanded along the ground, enveloping all as it went. Soon, the wall of ice halted, and Steve and Tony dropped back to the ground.

Loki stood in place, as if in a haze. He stared at the ground blankly before falling forward, smashing into the ground.

-Words Like Thor's-

Odin looked up at the blue aura glowing in the sky. He strode down the street, ice crunching beneath his heels. His single eye trailed down to where Loki had collapsed on the ground. Loki had started the job, but now... Odin held his hand out to his side, and Gungnir materialized in his fist. Now, Odin would finish the job.

**Author's Note: I realized something over the weekend... The Avengers never learned that Loki was a frost giant. He's always introduced as Thor's brother or as an Asgardian. :O They never would have known that he was a Frost Giant considering that Loki never used his frost giant powers in the Avengers. **

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! By the way... This story is almost about to pass over 100 reviews! I'm so glad that so many of you have enjoyed this story! ;-; I love you all!**


	23. Heal the Brokenness

I'll show you how to live again  
and heal the brokenness within  
Let me love you when you come undone  
**-Right Here by Ashes Remain**

Natasha rushed over to Loki's side with Clint hot at her heels. She slid over to him and dropped down onto the ice. She flipped him over onto his back and scanned him over. She whacked him a few times on the chest. He didn't respond, but he also didn't have any broken bones. She would have felt that, so what was wrong with him? She turned to Clint with a frown as the man felt for Loki's pulse. Clint involuntarily flinched at how cold Loki was. Had he always been this way?

"He's still alive. I don't know why he's down though." Clint looked up to Tony, who had approached to figure out what was going on.

"From previous records, Mister Loki's energy source is low, sir." JARVIS said. A hint of concern was in his voice. Tony looked at the monitor that was running all sorts of scans, pulling up data streams along the way. Tony looked through the records as they scrolled by, taking in all the information. A computer made diagram of Loki's inner-magical circuitry was pulled up onto the screen, and Tony frowned. From JARVIS' readings, Loki had expended a good quarter of his energy in the last blast. Either he had purposefully overdone it or he had no clue what he was doing. Tony wanted to pretend it was the latter, but he worried that it was the former.

"Is there anything we can do to jump start him?" Bruce said, finally stepping closing to the small crowd. He had stayed behind for a while to try and calm himself down. Now would have been the perfect time for him to **not** lose control. He tried to prevent himself from angering at seeing Loki lying limply on the ground. He couldn't let the other guy out right now. There was work to be done.

"I'm afraid not, sir. We'd be able to do it if we had Tesseract technology, but that was sent back to Asgard along with Mister Thor." JARVIS said apologetically.

"Then we just have to ask Thor to bring it down for a bit, right?" Clint asked, standing up and brushing off his knees. He looked between all of the Avengers before looking back down to Loki. "We should bring him to a hospital though. He looks like he could use some fluids. It's not as if he's been taking care of himself that well." Clint sighed, looking down at Loki sadly.

"That will not be necessary." A loud voice boomed. The Avengers turned around to look at Odin. The man strode towards them with long confident steps, his cape trailing behind him. With each step, Gungnir echoed on the ground. His lone eye stared down all of the Avengers,

"What do you mean by that?" Steve demanded, stepping in front of Loki. He really wished he had his shield right now. A part of him warned him to be careful and that he'd have to be ready to run.

"It is my fault that this has come so far. Loki is my responsibility, and mine alone. I brought him back from Jotunheim, pretending that this would never come about. I doubted the wisdom of Yggdrasil, and it is something that I now dearly regret. I must now atone for this mess that I have created." Tony clenched a fist behind his back. Somehow, he felt that Odin's definition of atoning didn't correlate to his own definition of atoning. "The only way to prevent this from ever happening again is for the threat of Loki to be gotten rid of. Unfortunately, the only way to do that is to send him to Hel." Odin closed his eye and shook his head.

"It is not something that I want to do, but it is something I must do. Loki understands this. He had begun the process, and it is my duty to finish it." Odin said calmly, gripping Gungnir tighter. He didn't want to do this, but he knew that it was what he had to do to ensure the lives of thousands in Midgard and Asgard. The soul of one could not surmount to the souls of many, and they had to understand that. The point of sacrifice was to sacrifice one thing for the greater good. Loki had to be that sacrifice.

"To be gotten rid of?" Bruce said stupefied. "You would treat your own son as if he was a pig waiting for the slaughter? Doesn't he mean anything more to you or are you really just as cold as he had always told us?" Bruce didn't believe that evil was born or inherited. He also didn't believe that people could be evil from the start, but he was having a real problem seeing Odin as anything other than evil. He was talking about Loki, a living and sentient being, as if he was trash.

"I would treat the lives of all my children as precious to me, but if one son threatens the lives of all the others, I would have to stop him. All humans, frost giants, fire giants, dwarves, aesir, and many more creatures are all my children. I cannot favor one child's life over another's when they are both so precious to me. But Loki is threatening thousands. I cannot let that continue any longer." Odin slammed the end of Gungnir down on the ground, sending shards of ice flying.

"So, unless you clear yourselves from my path, I will have to remove you. I do not want to harm you, but if I must, I will." Odin roared, holding Gungnir out to the side. Odin's casual wear was replaced by a dark battle armor. The steel was tinted a dark black, and dozens of scars marred the once flawless metal. The cape was gone, and instead two spikes protruded from his back, meaning to spear the enemy. The man was millennia old, but he had not lost his domineering glare. The Avengers flinched back before regaining themselves.

They were the Avengers. They had avenged the world and now it was time to avenge Loki. "Well, bring it on then." Tony said, snapping his face shield shut. He flung his hands out, activating the thrusters. He launched into the air, hovering over the future battlefield. "We aren't going to let you hurt Loki!" Tony yelled.

On the ground, Bruce cracked his hands and shook out his arms. "Well, it looks like we had better "suit up"." His skin glowed green, and his size expanded. His muscles bulged out, and he roared in fury. The Hulk had arrived, ready to avenge his fallen friend.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh my goodness, guys! I found another plothole in the Thor!universe! Thor never learned that Loki was a frost giant! I watched the movie and saw that Thor never talked with anyone about Loki's heritage. It was never revealed to the Avengers either... So is this secret only between Odin, Frigga, Heimdallr, and Loki? Tell me what you think because I think this might be true... The he's adopted comment could refer to him being a son of an Aesir. It's a logical cover up considering how he looks different from the rest of the family... D: **

**Also, thanks so much for all of your support! I can't believe this fanfiction has crossed over 100 reviews. It makes me so happy, and I'm so thankful for all of your support! ;-; Thank you so much!**


	24. Cold Thorns

Don't tell me that you can understand me so easily  
My ugly and crooked heart may even come to resent you  
Don't force me to talk, I'm not right for you  
The cold thorns inside that patronizing gaze suffocate me  
Don't come closer, I don't even want your concern  
**-Ugly by 2NE1**

The ground shook as Hulk charged at Odin. The ice splintered with every step he took, but Odin stood firm. Gungnir changed hands and glowed a light blue. As Hulk neared, Odin crossed Gungnir over his chest. He closed his eye and was silent. His eye snapped open and he swung the staff, slamming into Hulk. The green behemoth went tumbling across the street, smashing into a line of cars.

Natasha slipped her semi-automatics out from their holsters. Her fingers laced around the grips, a smile blossoming on her face. She aimed at the ground before Odin and fired rapidly. The bullets spiraled out of the gun and struck the surface before ricocheting up towards Odin. He leaned over to the side, dodging the first before striking away a second with his gloved fist. Natasha gritted her teeth and aimed over towards one of the frozen lampposts. Bullets were flying from all directions, corning Odin in a circle of metal.

He made a mocking laugh before slamming the butt of Gungnir on the ice, sending shards up into the air. The projectiles were knocked out of the air as they were thrown off course, some ramming into nearby cars and others into trash bins. "This is foolishness. Let this business be done with. You are wasting both my time and yours." Odin said, continuing his approach.

"Get back, Nat!" Clint yelled, drawing three arrows from his quiver. The small dot of red on the hilt marked each of the arrows as explosives. He held the arrows between his knuckles and drew back the string, flicking the knob that activated the arrows. He let them fly towards Odin, taking a few steps back from the soon to be blast zone.

Odin's lone eye watched as the arrows neared. He held up Gungnir before him. A black ripple came out of the spear, creating a large vortex. The arrows entered the circle, vanishing into the darkness. A muffled explosion was heard and the portal closed. Clint scrunched up his face before grabbing Natasha by the arm. The two of them fell back to where Steve was. "What are we going to do? He's obviously out of our league!" Clint hissed, looking between the two of them.

"We'll have to do what we did to defeat... you know." Steve said awkwardly. "We need to work together to win this." Steve looked down to Loki's pale form on the ground. "I need to get him out of here. I can't do much as I am now. Stall him for as long as you can."

"What about Thor?" Natasha questioned. "Do you think you could find him?"

"I can't imagine that he doesn't know what is going on." Steve said with a frown. "But this is his brother and his father. I bet he doesn't want either of them hurt right now..." Steve trailed off and sighed. "I can try to find him, but I don't know how it will turn out." Steve grabbed Loki and tossed him over his shoulder. "Buy me time." He said, before running off to the nearest hospital.

Natasha grimaced and nodded. "Clint, come." She looked up to the sky where Tony was hovering and shouted, "Stark! We could use a bit of help here!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Tony's voice came from above. A compartment opened from the golden suit, and a stash of missiles was revealed. "JARVIS, fire."

"Yes, sir." The AI said, calibrating the systems. "Target locked. Firing in three, two, one." A flicker of flame appeared at the end of the first missile, sending it firing out from the suit. Soon, dozens more fired, all diving towards Odin.

"When will you all learn?" Odin boomed, shaking his head. He held a hand above him and a blue film stretched out above him. As the missiles neared, the energy grew to surround the missiles, containing their energy. Odin winced ever so slightly at the loud impact, and that was all the opening they needed. The Hulk roared and charged at Odin, grabbing him in a large fist.

Odin grunted as Hulk's fingers constricted around him. Hulk picked him up, roaring into the Asgardian's face. Odin shut his eye, looking away from the beast. Hulk raised Odin in the air before hurling him across the street and into a building. Odin tumbled through the structure, smashing through glass and concrete. The building moaned as a lot of pressure was put on very few supports. Odin's eye shot open, and he dashed back out into the street.

He mumbled a few words before casting an incantation back up at the building. A glowing blue energy snaked towards the building, making its way up the sides. The crumbling building froze as cracks made their way up the concrete supports, the blue energy filling the holes. Odin turned to glare at the Avengers. "You fools! Be more wary of your surroundings!"

Tony lowered himself to the ground, letting his propellers heat up the ice. "I'm surprised you have the guts to say that all things considered. Aren't you the one that slaughtered hundreds in a single day? Don't act like you're the epitome of greatness and honorability. Considering you're here to kill your son and all, I'd advise you to rethink your life."

The ice melted away beneath him and a pool of water formed on the ground. Tony shot up higher into the sky and glanced over towards Natasha. She nodded and pulled out her guns. "Clint, back off."

Clint looked over at Natasha incredulously. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Trust me." Natasha swapped out cartridges and fired at Odin.

Odin sighed and walked over towards her. "When will you give up?"

"We're Avengers. It's a stupid name, but it gets the point across. Last time we were avenging the world, this time, we're avenging Loki. Back off." Natasha continued fast firing, trying to lure Odin towards her.

"I cannot do that." Odin said, striding over towards Natasha. He took a step in the water, sending ripples through the thin pool. Natasha noticed this and jumped back onto the ice. She slipped to twin discs out from her sleeves and threw them. The Widow's Bite skidded into the water, electricity sparking.

Odin dropped onto one knee as the first shock hit him. He coughed raggedly before swinging Gungnir into the water, blowing it away. He held a hand over his heart and glared up at Natasha. "That was the wrong move."

Natasha clicked her tongue and turned around. She sprinted away to where she knew Clint was hiding. She didn't know how they'd get out of this one, but right now, she was praying for a miracle.

As if by her call, a rumble sounded from the sky. The clouds darkened, swirling together into a giant storm. Lightning cracked across the sky, and Natasha gave a relieved sigh. "He's here."

* * *

**Author's Note: I got 14 reviews for a single chapter... That's the most I've ever gotten. /screams in happiness/ Thank you all so much for reviewing! It makes me so happy that you all enjoyed it so much! **

**On a personal note, I had scans on Monday. My echo-cardiogram turned up clear and my lung metastases are fairly stable. Maybe a bit bigger, but just a tiny bit. I just wanted to spout about the news. :'D Yay~**


	25. Everything Seemed Perfect

So let's get back to when everything seemed perfect  
Not a worry in the world, tell me was this all worth it?  
I get what I want so everyone's always judging me  
I'm not afraid of anything, I've got the whole world in front of me  
**-All I Want by A Day to Remember**

Thunder boomed overhead as the clouds swirls a dark grey. Flashes of blinding white crossed the sky and the wind stung at their faces. Natasha held a hand up over her face, shielding herself from the storm. Odin looked up at the center of the storm and stated, "He always has been one to make a show."

A bolt struck down from the sky, plummeting to the ground. A pulse shook the ground as the man landed, sending cracks through the ice. Thor's blue eyes flashed dangerously as he looked up from the ground. He got up from one knee and hefted Mjolnir over his shoulder. "Father." He said simply.

Natasha looked between the two Asgardians before pulling back. This was something the two Asgardians would have to settle. She could do no more here with mere guns. The tapping of her footsteps slowly faded away as the two men stared at each other.

"My son, by the look in your eyes, you are not here to stand by me," Odin said calmly. Odin reached up and undid the gold clasp that held his cape. He had not needed to take it off to face the Avengers, but in his heart, he knew that he would have to face Thor. Thor would not be an easy opponent. The cape was swept up in the current of wind and was pulled into the vortex above Thor.

Thor's hair whipped around him as he glared at Odin. "I will not let you hurt Loki." He had already taken long enough to get here. He silently thanked his comrades for stalling for so long.

"My son, do not stand against me. For the sake of hundreds, nay, thousands, you would save one? I thought you had learned about greed on your banishment, but I was wrong." Thor gritted his teeth.

"Why do your words always slander or belittle? It is you who is doing ill to the people of this world. Loki will not hurt anyone despite your fancies. Evil is made, not born. We have done him wrong. Killing him is not the way to show our repentance!" Thor bellowed, turning his head away. Lightning crackled overhead, striking the ground near them.

Odin stared ahead at Thor, unmoving as ever. "I do not wish to hurt you, Thor. Please stand back." Thor could hear the subtle plea in Odin's voice and scoffed.

"Why is it that you care for my wellbeing but not for Loki's? Loki is a child of yours as well. I have heard you say as much unless those were all lies as well."

Odin flinched slightly and replied, "You have not threatened an entire race. We were too lenient after he tried to massacre all the Jotuns. He is going to do it again, but this time, it will be done to humans! Do you want that, Thor? He has the power to destroy an entire world, and he has the will to do it! Do not deny you saw him try to destroy Jotunheim. You were there to see it yourself!"

Thor recoiled back, clenching Mjolnir in his grasp. "Is that different from when I went there to start a war? We both disobeyed orders, and we both tried to destroy Jotunheim. I see no reason why I am granted freedom while he is not. Loki deserves your love as much if not more than I. You are deluding yourself by thinking otherwise. The frost giants are not evil father. Loki has told me of how you look upon him. Just because he is one of Laufey's does not mean he is yours as well."

"Do not mistake my actions as prejudice!" Odin thundered, slamming Gungnir into the ground. "The fundamentals were different. You were driven by a desire to do good, and Loki was driven by a desire to do mischief. Nothing I have done has changed any of that. Loki chose this path on his own. No matter what I could have done, things would have turned out the same."

"Why do you give up so easily? You gave me the chance of banishment, but you give Loki only death! And do not lie by saying that this was destiny. If you had only told the truth, then this never would have happened! Loki could have learned to appreciate his heritage instead of learning to hate the creatures of which he knew not of!" Thor yelled angrily. "You claim to know what will happen and what will not, so why do you not change things that have yet to be? You knew of Loki's depression, yet you did not help him. Why?"

"I had tried." Odin said. "I had tried many times before to shake him from this path, but they were all fruitless. It matters naught what I do, for the result was always the same. I let him learn magic, hoping that it would give him something to excel in. I let him ride Slepinir, wishing that it would give him a caring heart. Nothing worked and this has still occurred. The only way Loki's future can change is death."

Odin took in a deep breath and gripped Gungnir in his palm. He looked at Thor, determination in his eyes. Thor looked at Odin helplessly before whispering, "Then we must fight."

**Author's Note: Finally, Thor appears! Thor has finally chosen his side, the side of Loki! Thor is probably the only one strong enough to face Odin. Handguns and arrows honestly won't do much if he is the "all father". **

** S: I'm so happy that you like the story! ^-^ My tests were because I have cancer, and I need to check to see whether or not it progressed in the past few months. I only progressed a tiny bit though. It's debatable whether or not I progressed at all, but they could get in a lawsuit if they say it didn't and it did. Still scary though. X_X **

**Thanks for reading and reviewing, everyone! :D It makes me so happy to see all the reviews! /happy tears/ **


	26. Know Who I Am

And I don't want the world to see me  
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's meant to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am  
**-Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls**

Thor raised Mjolnir above his head and lightning crackled above them. The hammer charged with electricity, white coils of energy dancing around it. Thor swung Mjolnir before releasing it, hurling it at Odin. Odin dodged out of the way of Mjolnir, knowing it to be far more powerful than the mortal weapons he had been fighting before.

Mjolnir was crafted in the heat of a dying star. Odin vividly remembered watching it be crafted inside the furnace by Eitri, Brok and Buri . He had instructed the dwarven blacksmiths in the runes that needed to be crafted into the mighty hammer. He had not wanted to look ahead into that hammer's future. He gave it to Thor and hoped that it would never be used against him. He could not pray for it, for gods to not pray. There is no one else to pray to.

Thor held out an open hand and Mjolnir's course turned while it flew. It swerved back over Odin, narrowly missing him as he ducked again, and back into Thor's hand. Thor roared before charging at Odin. Odin fell back, trying to figure out a way to bypass his son. He jumped back. As he landed, he felt a dampness at his heel. He looked down to see water seeping into his boots. Odin's eye shot up to look at Thor who was grimacing as he held Mjolnir over the small lake. Odin tried to move, but it was too late.

Mjolnir struck the surface of the water, sending electricity throughout the pond. Daggers of white fire flew across the lake, causing Odin to fall onto one knee. The metal battle armor served as a conductor for the electricity, and Odin grimaced as he felt the metal burn into his skin. Gungnir seared his palm, but he kept his hold on the spear. He muttered a few words under his breath before slamming Gungnir, side down, into the water.

The water rose up, carrying the electricity with it, and rolled towards Thor. Thor dived out of the way as the water surged over where he had previously stood. He summoned Mjolnir to him and lowered himself into a battle stance.

"You are strong, my son," said Odin, rising to his feet. Odin stretched out his hand, flexing the metal glove. "However," Odin clenched his fist tightly. "You are not the one I am here to fight." Odin thrust out Gungnir, sending a flash of blue towards Thor. The energy hit Thor square in the chest, sending him careening back into a car. Thor grunted as he hit the car, Mjolnir slipping out of his hand.

"I am here to defeat Loki, not you. I do not need to defeat you before I reach Loki. So do not follow me. This is your final warning." Odin's voice dropped and cold edged its way into his voice. All kindness had vanished from his face, leaving behind an empty mask. It was the face he had worn when he had slayed a thousand Jotuns. This was a mission he was doing for the sake of the world, not because he liked it.

Odin took a step ahead before pushing himself off the ground. His feet glowed a dull blue as he levitated in the air. "I will see you afterwards." Odin turned away from Thor and to the street where he had seen the rest of the Avengers run off to. He angled himself forward and flew towards the deserted street. The ice disappeared as he headed away from Loki's epicenter. While people were not frozen to their spots, the street had been evacuated. No one was foolish enough to wander outdoors while such a fight was going on.

Odin faintly heard the sound of Thor's voice, ordering him to stop. He shook it off and quickened his pace, knowing that Thor was bound to catch up soon. A flash of gold caught Odin's eye, and Odin realized it was the man of iron.

"Sir, it seems that Odin had gotten past Thor. Shall I send out the rockets?" JARVIS asked politely. Tony looked at the browser that JARVIS had popped up, displaying the approaching Asgardian.

"No, JARVIS. Book me a map to the nearest SHIELD medical base. You and I are going to be paying a visit," Tony said, lowering himself towards the ground. The red screen began flickering as it computed dozens of commands from the AI. "And set up a frequency, will you? We're going to need to get him in quickly."

"All right, sir," replied JARVIS.

"Steve!" Tony yelled, flying beside the man. "Give me Loki! I'm faster than you all. I'll get him there, just stall the pirate!"

Steve turned from his running, slowing ever so slightly. "Right!" He shifted Loki so that the Asgardian was slung over his shoulder. It wasn't quite like a relay race, but it would have to work. Tony stuck an arm under Loki before grabbing him awkwardly.

"This could have gone a lot more smoothly," he complained under his breath. He tucked Loki under his arm before giving the Captain a salute. "See you later, Stars N' Stripes!" Tony activated his thrusters, shooting him away along the course JARVIS had brought up.

"Rogers, we have a plan. But we need you to keep him steady!" Clint yelled, curving away from the center of the road. Natasha headed left, leaving Steve alone in the center.

"Got it!" Steve confirmed. His eyes searched the ground for what he needed. No, no, trash can lids wouldn't be heavy enough. And he doubted that there were many around here anyways, so what could he use for his shield? His eyes noticed something on the ground, and he skidded to a stop. He ripped out the man hole cover and wrapped his fingers into the grip. The blonde gave a satisfied nod before looking at the incoming god.

A few seconds left before he would arrive. Steve shook out his shoulders and took a deep breath. He pivoted around in a circle, whirling faster and faster. When Odin was finally in range, Steve released. The thick metal crashed into Odin, knocking him from his path.

"Now!" Clint shouted, releasing three arrows. The first arrow landed a good ten feet past Odin, but who was to say he didn't plan it like that? The capsule on the end cracked, letting out a piercing shriek. Clint and Natasha had closed the shutters on their comm links, effectively blocking out the noise. As they ran closer, the second arrow activated. Smoke filled the street, blocking everyone from view. Steve couldn't see what was going on, but knew he wouldn't be of use. He ran back to find another manhole cover while the third arrow activated.

The explosion sent the smoke away, but the cloud had lasted along enough. Gun shots rang out as two bullets hit Odin in the side. Clint had another arrow knocked, about to release. Odin snarled, and rolled out of the way as Clint fired. He waved Gungnir at Natasha, sending a blast of energy. Natasha was hurled into a wall behind. The air got knocked out of her chest as she collapsed to the ground. She gave hacking coughs as she tried to regain her breath.

"Natasha!" Clint called out before being side hit by the staff. The sound of cracking ribs was heard, and Clint and tossed over to the side. He rolled across the ground before slamming into a lamppost. His bow skidded up beside him, smacking him in the head.

Steve watched in horror as Odin stood up again. The man gave a short glance at the bullets in his chest before giving a snort. "All you are doing is stalling what will eventually come about. These mortal weapons cannot wound me." Odin stared up at Steve, sending chills down the other man's spine. The man was undefeatable. Was it even possible to defeat the Allfather?

**Author's Note: Woo~ I finished a chapter! I may or may not have posted this on my last chapter, but I'm going to say it again. I have a debate tournament this week and it is out of state. This means I'll be driving for awhile... On Thursday. Which is my update day. I may or may not be able to have a chapter up and ready for you during that time since I've been time crunching recently. I hope y'all understand! ): **

**I'll try to get it done though! :D Thank you for bearing with me even though I can be pretty unpredictable!**

** Brownie: Thank you so much for your words of support! I really appreciate it. (: **

** S: Can I hug you? I want to hug you. It made me so happy to see your review! *-* I'm glad you enjoy the story so much, and I hope it lives up to your expectations!**


	27. If I'm Dying

Don't tell me if I'm dying  
'Cause I don't wanna know  
If I can't see the sun, maybe I should go  
**-Angels on the Moon by Thriving Ivory**

"I'm all right, don't worry about me!" Natasha called out between her coughs. Odin looked over at her and sighed. This really was just a waste of his time. It was a game of children that wanted to be adults.

"Stop this," he demanded. "This is no purpose for this needless bloodshed."

"That's not an option, I'm afraid," Steve said, rolling his shoulders. He ran up to Odin and swiped at his head. Odin leaned out of the way and swung Gungnir at the blonde avenger. Steve reached a hand up to stop Gungnir, clasping it in his fist. Odin tried to yank the spear back, but it was firm in Steve's hand.

Clint unlatched an arrow from his quiver and aimed it carefully. While the two fought for control over the spear, Clint fired. The red flecked arrow struck Odin in the arm. Odin ignored the arrow, instead choosing to swipe Gungnir back from Steve. That was his mistake. The arrow began beeping rapidly, drawing both of their attention. Steve started back, recognizing the sound. Odin moved to remove it, but it was too late.

The arrow exploded, sending Steve back a few feet. He rolled across the ground before stopping himself on the ground. He looked up at where Odin was to see the god on his knees. Gungnir was on the ground and Odin held a hand over the gaping hole where his arm should have been. Blood seeped through his fingers and pooled on the ground.

Anger lit in Odin's eye, and he whispered, "You'll regret that." Odin gripped his arm socket tightly and blue energy funneled from his hand. Clint and Steve watched with horror as bone cracked out forming a skeletal arm. Muscle grew back, soon concealed by skin. Odin stretched out his fingers, testing the movement. He grabbed Gungnir on the ground and threw it. The spear Gungnir never missed a target, not even a moving one. Clint buckled down to the ground as Gungnir pierced his chest.

Odin walked over to the downed hawk, jerking the spear out from his chest. "This is foolishness. This is a battle you could have never won from the start. Why do you persist in this, knowing that? Bravery is something to be admired, but stupidity is something else entirely. This will be the end of you if you continue," Odin said.

Steve looked into Odin's eyes and saw something he did not expect: genuine confusion. Odin, the allfather, did not know the meaning of loyalty? It surprised Steve, though he supposed that it should not. Loyalty was built through hardship. Without ever struggling, one could not feel loyalty or have loyalty be given to him. Odin had never been an underling. He didn't know what it was like to follow a leader, and feel that sense of loyalty that Steve felt.

"Loyalty is different from stupidity," Steve said calmly. "Loyalty is something that is unshakeable because you know how much the person deserves it. There are few people that I have grown close enough to for me to call myself loyal to them. That is because few people deserve it, but Loki does. What you're doing is murdering someone for no reason other than a _premonition_. You cannot kill a man who has not yet done the crime you are convicting him of!"

"It is the same as if it has happened. I know what will happen. I have seen these things come to pass before, and they will come to pass again. Do not doubt my judgment. I searched all the Nine Realms to find a way that I could be false, but I found none. This is how it will be, and I must stop it with my own two hands. No one else will, so I will do it. He was destined to commit the crime from before he was born, to the beginning of time," replied Odin.

"You're wrong!" Steve shook his head. He gritted his teeth tightly in frustration. "You claim to see everything, but you see nothing at all! There is no such thing as destiny! Nothing is destined to happen. The future is always liable to change. What we do now matters because we'll never get another chance. If you kill Loki, you could never take it back. You could never see the thousands of other possibilities that could have occurred if you had never hurt him. I may not be _granted_ with an all seeing eye, but I don't need one to know that Loki isn't evil. I believe in him."

Steve crushed his hand into a fist. "Your gaze may have been cast somewhere else, but those of us who have been with Loki these past few months know how he really is! He tries to make sure everyone is happy, even if he doesn't take the credit. It's the small things that matter as well, not just how loud you are. He's been trying to improve himself whether you see it or not. He'll prove you wrong: I promise."

Odin looked at Steve before closing his eye. "I admire your dedication, but it is blind loyalty. You are a man of honesty, Rogers. I only wish we could have been on the same side. Heart makes a man stronger than his body ever could have been."

"If only you could follow your own words," Steve said lowly. He and Odin shared a glance, both knowing the outcome of this battle. Odin shot forward, snapping his hand out. Steve jerked as Odin slammed his fingers into his neck. His eyes widened for a moment before he fell forward, unconscious.

Odin set him down gently before casting a look over his shoulder. Thor had come up with "opposition". Odin turned away from his son and looked down the street. There was now only one Avenger standing between him and his target.

* * *

**Author's Note: Curses. I broke Microsoft Word. Open Office just has such a weird look! I can't get used to it. D: I'm going to have to buy a legit Microsoft Word since I had been running off of starter 2010 for awhile. ;-; In other tech news, I dropped my iTouch into the tub and broke it. I have a new one, but it doesn't work with our router since it is old. Thus, the streaming fails. My technology hates me. Need I even mention only one of my earbuds works now? And I refuse to get started on my computer battery that lasts 15 minutes. **

**This will be my last update till Tuesday. :D Thanks so much for the best wishes on my tournament. I'll be sure to let you all know how it turns out! I'm so freaked out. /panic mode/ Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	28. I Can't Feel You

I've become so numb  
I can't feel you there  
Become so tired  
So much more aware  
**-Numb by Linkin Park**

"He'll prove you wrong: I promise." Darkness clouded his mind. He felt the wind blowing past him as he was carried through the air. The words faintly made their way into his ears, and he was confused. Why was the man so confident? There was no reason for him to be. Hadn't Loki done enough already? Why couldn't he just give up now? All he wanted to do was give up and rest. Living... Living was too much work now. It was better just to give up, then it would all go away. Then he could rest, just rest.

The silence swept into his mind once more, and he drifted into the night.

-Words Like Thor's-

Thor trembled as he stood. The four figures before him were the last that he had ever wanted to see, yet they were here. He knew why they were here, but he didn't want to admit it. The black haired woman, the three warriors, there was no other possible reason for their arrival. Thor bowed his head and looked away to the side.

"Sif," Thor looked among his companions, "Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg, my friends... Why are you here?" His stomach clenched. The blonde closed his eyes and gripped Mjolnir tightly. He wanted to run away from them, to run after Odin. A part of him knew that he had to stay and end this now, but time was short.

"We are here to stop you, my friend," Fandral said with a small frown on his face. Fandral palmed his sword nervously. "The Allfather has ordered us to prevent you from interrupting him. Please do not make this any more difficult than it is. Just stay here with us and wait until it is done."

"I cannot do that. I need to save Loki. If you prevent me from doing this, then we must do battle." Thor took a deep breath in before sighing. He tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach. He didn't want to hurt any of them, but he had to reach Loki. The god gritted his teeth tightly before throwing Mjolnir at the cluster of gods.

The black haired woman dived out of the way as Mjolnir went flying over her head. She reached over her back and snapped out her dual bladed spear. She pivoted on the ground before hurling the spear at Thor. The spear went hurtling past Thor, cracking the foundations of a building behind him. Volstagg roared as he charged at Thor. His feet were swept out from under him as Thor kicked him at the knee. The behemoth went tumbling to the ground as a sword swung down towards Thor.

The movements were sluggish and clumsy. The sword itself was sharp, but the warrior's heart was dulled. It had no power now. Thor easily moved out of the way and blocked a swing from the Asian samurai. Thor and Hogun shared a glance; it conveyed more than words ever could at that moment. It hurt to fight one's comrade, especially since neither was doing wrong. The Warriors 3 and Sif were fighting according to their blood commitment. Thor was fighting to save Loki's life. Thor could more easily disobey his father than those that had sworn on their lives to obey the Allfather.

Sif had grabbed her spear out of the wall and gave a loud battle cry. Something in her voice struck Thor. Maybe it was the note of despair that was so different from her usual cry of victory. It was painfully obvious to them all that neither of them wanted to hurt the other.

Thor held out his hand to summon Mjolnir. "Thor, get down to the ground." A sweet voice whispered into his ear. His face scrunched up in confusion as the hammer gripped back into his hand. The voice was a specter in his mind and there were much more important matters at hand. Thor parried Fandral's blade and sent the other blonde back along the street.

"Get down!" The voice demanded. Thor obeyed, flattening himself against the ground just as Hogun's mace went whirling above him. A mechanical whirring sounded above them and the Warriors 3 stopped and looked up. A flash of blinding light filled the street. A shriek of energy was heard as the Bifrost opened above them, targeted at the battle.

Thor clung to the ground as he heard the surprised shouts of the Asgardians as they were absorbed into the rainbow shower. The four Asgardians were swept up into the energy, being pulled back to their home in Asgard. The energy dispersed, and Thor looked up to see an ethereal figure in front of him. "Hello, Thor. It has been too long, my son."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Eek! It's short! I'm sorry about that! I wanted to lead up to the next chapter, but I didn't have enough to stuff in here. The next one will be longer, I promise!**

** S: Thanks! My debate actually didn't go well. xD I got a 2-6(six losses). I got ranked low on speaker points as well, but I think I know why. I don't use enough rhetoric and when I debate, I don't connect the dots very well. I assume people know everything, but very few people know much about Ballistic Missile Defense in Europe. Oops. :P **


	29. Make It Alright

When everyday we're runnin' in circles  
Such a funny way to fallTried to open up my eyes  
I'm hopin' for a chance to make it alright  
**-Painting Flowers by All Time Low**

"Mother," Thor murmured softly. He picked himself up from the ground to look at the wife of Odin. Frigga's blonde tresses streamed behind her as she walked over towards her son. Her brow was marred with lines and her eyes shone. Her pure white dress was stained by the dirt and blood on the ground, changing her from a caring mother to a fierce queen.

"I am sorry that I am late, my son." Frigga gently rested her hand on his shoulder. She brushed his hair out of his face and gave a weak smile. "There is much work that needs to be done, but little time to do it. We must make haste if we are to stop your father. He has already defeated most of your companions. There is only one left, and he cannot stall Odin for long." Her fingers clenched on Thor's armor, slightly denting the metal. Frigga was not weak. One did not get to be queen of Asgard by being weak. She had chosen to retire from her days as a sorceress, but it appeared that she had to go back to war.

"Why are you doing this?" Thor asked quietly, touching his mother's hand. "Have you not dedicated yourself to the allfather?"

Frigga gave a twinkling laugh, "Oh Thor. You should know best of all men that not all rules are meant to be obeyed. But..." Her blue eyes darkened, "I may love my husband, but that does not mean that I love what he does. When he brought Loki home, Loki became my son. It makes no difference that he is a frost giant; he will always be my son. I will not stand by as Odin commits filicide. We are a family, and we have to stand by one another. Even if one of us strays from the right path, the rest of us much guide him right again. That is what a family is, no?"

Thor blinked slowly before pulling his mother into a hug. Frigga started in surprise before embracing her son, whispering, "I have missed you dearly, son." She pulled herself daintily out of his hug before saying, "Now come, we must be off." She held out a hand to Thor and said, "Let me show you an easier way to fly."

-Words Like Thor's-

"Oh come on!" Tony rolled to the side as a blast of energy flew over him. "JARVIS, delay him!" The billionaire shifted the Asgardian in his arms as he moved out of the way of another attack. He was a fighter. Running away wasn't something he was particularly used to, and he didn't think he ever wanted to become used to it. There was something unnerving about not knowing whether something was about to hit you in the back. JARVIS helped, but he could only help so much since Tony see with 360 degree vision.

"Yes, sir." The AI responded. Tony heard a click as a door was opened on his suit. "Keep in mind that you are currently at 35% energy." Tony groaned. There were too many factors! Rockets jetted out of his suits, swirling back towards Odin. Tony used the time to look at the map on his monitor. Only two miles left... He could use his thrusters to get there.

"Active the back thrusters, JARVIS! Give it all we got!" JARVIS hummed in acknowledgement. Tony flashed ahead as the devices on his shoes activated. He was only able to use the propellers on his feet since he was carrying Loki, but he hoped it would get him there in time. For an old man, Odin was fast!

"SHIELD has radioed in. They had the medical lab ready for Mr. Loki's arrival." Tony gave a small sigh of relief. At least one thing was going right. He shifted to the side to dodge a lamppost that went flailing over his head.

"Geez! Hold your horses already!" Tony complained, ducking as a trashcan went flying towards him. He leaned to the left and turned around the corner before making a quick right in an attempt to confuse his pursuer. He looked at the map again. The medical lab was just ahead.

Tony skidded to a stop in front of the glass paned medical facility. It was dressed to be like a normal hospital, and it did a pretty good job... except for the soldiers armed with riot shields and fully-automatics. Two nurses dressed in white stood prepared at the doorway with a stretcher. An IV pole stood at the ready as Tony rushed through the doors. He laid Loki on the bed. The pale Asgardian was breathing weakly and shook as the nurses moved to put an intravenous in.

"Roll him back! Odin is co-" The doors behind Tony exploded, sending glass flying all around the waiting room. Tony spread his arms out in front of the stretcher, chips of paint blowing away with the glass shards. Tony opened an eye to see Odin standing there with Gungnir firmly planted between his two feet.

The guards were the first to react, opening fire on Odin. The nurses took the time to drag the stretcher away while calling for more backup. Odin held up his hand, freezing the bullets in place. He rotated his hand to the side, causing the bullets to turn so that the broad side faced the soldiers. Odin flung his arm at the soldiers, sending the bullets flying back. The obtuse bullets shot at the soldiers, knocking them in the arms and head.

Tony watched in horror as the agents fell down to the ground, unconscious. A part of him felt that it was hopeless. They were mortals, not gods. He fancied himself to be strong, but Odin was something else. Even though Tony had gotten Loki to the medical unit, SHIELD would not be able to protect Loki in here. It was impossible.

"Stop!" The call rang out clearly, and Odin halted midstep. He turned away from Iron Man and towards the two that now stood behind him.

"Frigga, Thor. I cannot call myself surprised to see you here. My son, I know your choice. My wife, do not get involved in this. It is not your battle," Odin stated solemnly. A bead of sweat was on the corner of his brow. It was not because he was tired, but more the fact that Frigga was there. He remembered when he had banished Thor and when he had to confront Loki about his true heritage. The stress was beginning to get to him again, but this time there was no escape in the Odinsleep.

"Loki is my son, our son. Even if you do not see him as such, he will always be our child. As a mother, it is my duty to protect him. I have failed him before, but I will not fail him now." Frigga's blue eyes flashed as she landed upon the ground. "You are the one that must depart, my husband. Give up this foolishness. What Loki needs is love, not hatred or death."

Odin dipped his head. "It is easier for a father to discipline his son than it is for a man to fight his wife. But," Odin looked back up towards Frigga, "I am afraid that I cannot give in."

**Author's Note: Microsoft word is back and alive! I never knew how much I loved this program until it was gone. /contented sigh/ Thank you everyone for all of your support! I really appreciate it. :D I'm trying to keep on plugging away at this story, but I just realized I had forgotten about a class. There are no late scores, but I just need to finish 10 weeks of homework in 4 weeks. Oops. I'll still be around these parts though! ;D**

** S: It's not the connecting dots that is hard for me, but I'm awful at explaining. I can write fairly well, but I sound incoherent when I talk. xD It's one of the reasons that I prefer writing emails to talking in real life. :'D**


	30. I Never Meant To

See I never meant for you to have to crawl  
No I never meant to let you go at all  
Oh, no, oh, no  
Don't ever say goodbye  
**-Flowers for a Ghost by Thriving Ivory**

Frigga ran a hand through her golden hair. "I knew you would say that. I suppose I did not want to admit it, but this must come about." Frigga clapped her hands twice, a flash of light erupting from her palms. The light enveloped her before dispersing, revealing Frigga. Steel coated her in firm protection with leather rings keeping the pieces in place. Frigga reached down to her waist where she kept a small dagger. She slipped it out of the holster and ran her fingers over the metal.

"I never thought I would have to don this uniform ever again, nor would I ever see this knife. You have disappointed me, my husband. I thought I would finally be able to retire from magic and war. Never would I have expected that my cause for battle would be you." She flipped the knife up in the air before catching it by the hilt. "But you shall not hurt our, no, _my_ son." A glowing golden sheath surrounded the knife, "You do not deserve to be called his father!" She yelled, throwing the blade at Odin.

"This way, Hammer-boy!" Thor looked over to see Tony waving towards him. Thor ducked as a block of rock went flying over his head, and ran towards Tony. The black haired man was hiding just in the doorway of another hallway. Once Thor arrived, Tony grabbed his arm and began pulling him down the hall. "I need you to protect Reindeer Games. I only have 18% charge in this suit, and I'm guessing the power will go out fairly soon. Nurses have already forbidden me from leeching away their power, so I'm screwed."

They turned a corner before ducking to the left down a side-hall. "They tucked him in the back to stall for time. I figure that you take a bit more room than this, don't you?" They ran in single-file now because the hall was too small to run side-by-side. Their feet pounded on the flooring as they skidded around another corner.

They entered a rotunda with doors lining the sides every three feet. None of the rooms had labels, but Tony seemed to know where he was going. He ran towards the door which was at a 45 degree angle from where they entered. Tony pushed and the dark wooden door swung open. Thor walked in to the dimly lit room. It would almost look vacant with the only light coming in from the windows and the small buttons of light on the monitors.

Two nurses sat in the back of the room, finished with their fussing with Loki. Just beside them, was the Asgardian himself. Loki had nasal prongs around his face, and was firmly strapped down to the bed. Thor eyed the straps with a familiar distaste of when he had first arrived on Midgard. Tony nudged him from behind and said loudly, "I'll go keep an eye out for any insane one-eyed men. Fury included in that." He winked before slipping out the door and quietly closing it behind him.

Thor gave a small smile and whispered, "Thank you, my friend." He turned and walked over to Loki's beside. One of the nurses got up out of his chair and let Thor sit down. Thor murmured his thanks as he looked over Loki. He looked just like he had the last time that he had drained himself. "Loki, I thought we would never have to see you like this again..."

Thor bit his lip, "Everyone is worried for you, and they are all fighting for you. If you were awake, you would be able to see how much they value you. I just wish you could see it, brother. You would be amazed by how much they care." Thor reached out to put a hand on Loki's icy cold one, "You may not have believed that their feelings were true, but actions speak louder than words, brother. If you saw what they did for you, you would be amazed. Wake up, brother. We're fighting to save you, but there is only so much we can do."

"Convincing Odin is like trying to calm a raging boar. But maybe, if you helped, we could do it. We just have to prove to him that you are not a danger, and he will leave. We will try to buy you time, but it is up to you to prove it to him. We cannot do it without you though, so please try to wake up. I know you are not evil, brother. The others know it as well. We will fight for you until the end, so please wake up." Thor squeezed Loki's hand before standing up and turning to the nurses.

"Watch over him for me until I return." The nurses nodded in response, and Thor swept out of the room. The door squeaked to a close behind him, and the nurses went back to sitting in a corner. A loud series of beeps sounded from the heart-monitor, causing them to look up. Loki's eyes were open.

**Author's Note: Let the battle begin! ;D **

**Once again, thanks so much for sticking with me! This story just hit 30 chapters, and that's amazing to me. I still remember when I was thinking about keeping this story as a one-shot. Yeah, clearly it isn't a one-shot anymore. xD I'm glad that so many of you are enjoying this! Next chapter, Loki arrives on the scene! **


	31. To Begin Again

So stay in my memory  
You can hide out there  
Don't take all my thoughts today  
So I can start to begin again  
**-Stay in my Memory by Bim**

The building shook as the two gods took the fight deeper into the sanctum. Odin danced around Frigga's blows, trying to avoid direct conflict. He searched for ways to disable his wife without having to severely hurt her. She was different from the Midgardians he had fought earlier. He didn't have any emotional attachment to them, and he didn't have an allegiance to protect those that were fighting for the wrong cause.

Frigga, on the other hand, though she was fighting on the wrong side, was his wife. He couldn't just hurt her. Frigga spun and landed a kick on his stomach, sending him flying back through the walls. She slipped another knife out of her side pocket and threw it after the allfather. She ran after the blade, her mind blank. She knew that if she thought too much, she'd stall. She needed to keep her head clear of thoughts or she'd really begin to think. This was a fight. She didn't want to think otherwise she'd get caught up in her emotions.

Odin tumbled back into the rotunda, the walls shaking as a large hole was blown into them. Odin weakly clasped Gungnir in his hands. As Frigga neared, he slammed the blunted side against her chest, sending her skidding back. It wasn't hard enough to damage her too badly, but it was enough to stun her. She shook her blonde hair back and forth before growling, "Do not patronize me. You insult me by not taking me seriously."

"I do take you seriously, my wife, but I would not harm someone who need not be involved." Odin pointed Gungnir at Frigga, a beam of energy erupting from the tip. Frigga rolled out of the way as the beam struck a chunk of fallen rubble. The rock levitated into the air, much to Odin's annoyance. He raised up the rock before throwing it at Frigga, who dodged.

Thor had just exited the room when he saw the attack. He closed the door behind him quickly and hoped that they hadn't noticed his arrival. Luckily, the two seemed too busy in their own fight to notice someone on the outskirts.

-Words Like Thor's-

"Let me go, you ingrates!" Loki yelled in frustration as he tugged at his restraints. "I am perfectly fine! Now let me loose! You senseless Midgardians cannot sense their presence, but I can!" Powerful energy readings came from the room just beside his. He instantly recognized them as Frigga, Odin, and Thor. That meant he wanted to be anywhere but near them.

"Calm down, sir. You're not supposed to leave the bed! You were unconscious only a few moments ago. It's very ill advised for you to get up right now!" The male nurse said, pushing Loki back down on the bed.

"I feel perfectly fine. You do not have a clue how Asgardians heal, so let me go. I am perfectly fine, but you will not be if you keep me here any longer," Loki growled, glaring at the nurse.

The man ran a hand through his hair and looked over at the female nurse behind him. The woman shrugged as an explosion shook the building. The woman slipped backwards, falling to the ground. The black haired man moved over to catch her, and Loki took the chance. He straightened his hand out and called a thin blue line of energy. He sliced his hand up, cutting through the leather restraints.

With his lower arm free, he moved to slice away the restraints on his chest, finally breaking free. "Hey! Stop that!" The agent yelled, running back over to the beside.

"No thank you." Loki replied, hopping off the other side of the bed. He winced as IV tugged at his skin. He noticed the small white strips that tied the line into his skin and thought better about ripping it out. His fingers glowed blue as he snipped the IV cord, saline gushing out.

He flicked energy at the bed locks, snapping the wheels free. Loki jumped away from the man's outstretched arms and gave the bed a kick, sending it careening towards the two agents. While they were delayed, he ran towards the only door he could find. It was towards his self-proclaimed family, but he'd have to risk if he wanted to get out.

He rushed through the door before stopping abruptly as a block of rock went flying past them. Frigga and Odin battled before him, each sending blasts of magic back at one another.

Loki watched them silently. Frigga dodged to the side before sending sparks towards Odin. Any other time, Loki would have been trying to figure out their weaknesses. Perhaps he would have tried to create a pool of water for one of them to slip on. But now he just sat there and watched them. They were... fighting.

He had never seen Frigga fight before. She had retired from fighting long before he had joined their family. At most, she had taught him a little bit of magic before hiring a tutor. He had heard from some of the warriors in Valhalla that she had been a warrior, but he had never believed them. Frigga seemed too nice and complacent to be a warrior.

But now she was fighting. And it wasn't just that she was fighting. She was fighting for _him_. He had been angry with her for a while. She had never tried to intervene to help him before. It seemed that she didn't care at all, but now it was different. The last time he had really been close to her had been before the New York incident. Frigga hadn't forgotten him, and she hadn't moved on.

Thor walked up behind him and put a hand on Loki's shoulder. Loki turned up to look at the blonde with a frown cresting his face. "Why is she doing this?" Thor furrowed his brows and tilted his head to the side. "There has to be an angle, a reason why she is doing this. What is it?" Loki grabbed Thor's wrist tightly. Thor moved to pry off the hand, but realized Loki was shaking.

He knelt down beside his brother and said, "It is because she cares for you, brother."

"I have no brother," Loki mumbled, shaking his head vehemently.

"You do. I am your brother, and she is your mother. If we are not family in blood, we are family in spirit. We are fighting for _you_. You are more than you realize, Loki. Do not let Odin define you. The Avengers have also seen your merit. They fought for your sake and no one else's. Actions speak louder than words as you so often remind me. Can you not see how much their actions convey?" Loki stared at the ground sadly as Thor spoke to him.

He lifted up his other hand to his face and looked away. His hair fell in front of his face, and he shook quietly. Thor heard faint hiccups and patted his brother on the head. "Thor," Thor started. They were back to first name basis now? "Thank you for always being there for me."

Thor blinked before smiling. "It is nothing, brother."

"Now, I have to stand for myself, but... It would be nice if you could stand beside me," Loki said quietly, glancing away to the side.

Thor smiled broadly and pulled his brother into a brief and awkward hug. "Of course, Loki."

**Author's Note: It's late! I'm so so sorry! My brain has fried these past few days. The story will probably end by the end of November. Isn't that kind of sad? I can't wait to write it out though because I know you will all enjoy it. At least, I hope you will... I don't plan on having to defend against riots or mobs. Take that message as you will, and I will see you next week!**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	32. There Can Be Miracles

There can be miracles when you believe  
Though hope is frayed, it's hard to kill  
Who knows what miracles you can achieve  
When you believe, somehow you will  
**-When You Believe by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey**

Frigga and Odin circled around the edges of the room. Frigga knew she was out of shape. Magical flexibility wasn't something that could be remembered in an instant, it required practice. Practice that she had not had for many centuries. She watched as Odin furtively looked over to the side. The blonde followed his eyesight to see Loki standing beside Thor. "Loki?" She straightened slightly, relaxing her battle pose.

Odin noticed. Taking Frigga's opening, he sped over towards Loki. He flung out one hand to send Thor back into the wall, pinning his arms tightly to his chest. Thor coughed as he was suddenly tossed into the plaster. "Loki!" Thor managed to call out his brother's name as Odin neared the younger Asgardian.

"I know!" Loki called back irritably. His head ached from being thrust out of his coma only a few minutes ago. He clapped his hands together before spreading them apart, a thin blue string appearing between his two hands. Time seemed to pass slowly as Loki shaped the energy. Frigga was trying to cast a spell to stop Odin, but it was obvious that it would be too late.

Odin raised Gungnir to swing down on Loki, but Loki acted first. Loki blew at the swirling orb, sending energy flying at Odin. The light wrapped around the spear as it fell, and crawled up Odin's arms, fixing him in place. Loki leaned away from his hands before levitating Odin towards him.

Loki's green eyes stared into Odin's. Frigga and Thor stood off to the side, nervously awaiting the outcome. Both knew that nothing would be settled unless Odin was completely convinced that Loki was not evil. That didn't do anything to sate their fears though.

"No," Loki said simply. "I know what you are thinking, but it is a no. Circumstances have... changed." Loki tilted his head over to the side before shaking his head slightly. "Yes, I suppose that I cannot go along with that anymore. I hope you understand."

Odin jerked his head over to the side, breaking through the thin barrier that had held him in place. He landed on his feet and instinctively took a few steps back. His hand reached the wall and wandered up to where Gungnir was stuck inside the wall. He yanked it out, and bits of plaster crumbled and fell.

"I see that your zest for life appears to have returned," Odin commented blandly, brushing off the white bits of chalk on Gungnir. He ran his fingers over the curved edge of the spear as he kept his single eye on Loki.

The black haired Asgardian kept his hands firmly to his sides. He took in a deep breath, feigning confidence. "I was bugged back into it, really. There were a few people who would not take to me giving up. Otherwise," Loki cast a quick glance over to Thor, "I doubt I would have considered it."

Thor, who had also broken out of his hex, looked over at Loki with a glow in his eyes. A smile grew across his lips. "I am glad."

**Author's Note: Ahh! Sorry that the chapter seems kind of short. I think I have contracted something, again. I had to skip debate earlier today because I was feeling too ill. W_W I'll try to keep writing for you all though! It just might mean that I'll need to add more chapters onto the story since I'm writing... less. There's no nice way to say it unfortunately.**

**You may or may not have noticed this... But this story crossed 200 reviews! /cheers/ I just felt I had to mention that. ^^**

**Also, I mentioned this to ArrancarRayflo(I need to find a shorter name), but I was thinking of a few possible storylines for a sequel. Would any of you be interested in reading anything like that if I were to write a sequel to Words Like Thor's? Thanks! **


	33. We Hurt Each Other

Are you, too, feeling somewhere  
The loneliness of that cloud that drifts along in the wind?  
In order to protect our dreams we hurt each other  
And walked away with our backs to each other  
**-Realize by Nami Tamaki**

"To be sure, it is heartwarming to hear such things," Odin said, shaking his head from side to side. "But what would make me believe such a thing? You have been a liar for a long time. One cannot simply shake hundreds of years of lying because of a few months' time. There is no reason for me to believe whatever you say."

Loki wrapped an arm around himself and looked away. "I am not the one who is able to see the future. Can you not tell me what it is that you see ahead? You have told us enough before, but what has changed in your line of sight?"

"I do not need to look once more," Odin replied gruffly. "Actions can change, but people cannot. A chameleon may change its colors, but it is still a chameleon. Your appearance has changed, but your soul is still the same."

Loki frowned. What was he supposed to do to convince Odin that he had changed? The man seemed impervious to changing his mind. Loki felt like giving a snappy remark about mulish stubbornness, but knew it wouldn't go over well right now. "I am glad that you know what change is. I suppose you have never seen it though. It is not as if Thor had been banished before changing into what you call a _true king_. No, that never happened at all." Loki rolled his eyes. He could tell that Thor winced slightly at the memory, and he silently apologized. The point had to be made though.

"Thor only needed to grow up. You, on the other hand, would require a complete change. The comparison cannot be made," Odin replied stoutly. He gave a loud sigh. "This is foolishness and it just wasting time. I do not know if you are trying to stall me or you think that anything can really change from this, but I will tell you that it will not work. I made up my mind long before I set step on Midgard."

Odin took a step towards Loki, causing Frigga and Thor to tense warily. Loki defiantly held his ground. As Odin neared, a loud crack was heard. Odin stopped mid-step and looked up at the ceiling. A long black crack grew across the molding. It forked out in the center of the room, sending branches all cross the rotunda. Thor vaguely remembered the layout of the building. There were three floors above the ground floor where they were.

"This is why I hate Asgardians. They have no sense of environment," Loki grumbled under his breath. He looked past Odin and Frigga to where the now gaping hole in the wall seemed extremely obvious. He rubbed his forehead as the internal beams creaked around them. A chunk of plaster fell down from the ceiling, crashing right beside him. Loki looked at the white material skeptically before staring up at the yellow insulator that was now sticking out. "We should go," he said simply, looking at Thor. "Just because something like this cannot kill us does not mean we should linger."

Odin snorted. "We will continue this outside." He pointed Gungnir at Loki before running through the gap in the walls. Frigga gave Loki an encouraging smile before running after her husband. Thor pulled on Loki's arm and the two made chase.

A pillar moaned as cracks raced up its sides. As the four ran past, the pillar collapsed, the portion of the ceiling caving along with it. "The entire building is going to collapse! Hurry, brother!" Thor called back to Loki as they raced through the corridors.

Loki's mind stopped. The entire building was going to collapse? The blueprint of the building played out in his head. The rotunda, the small rooms leading off of it, the single hallway leading away from it. Loki skidded to a stop, turned around, and sprinted back from where he came. He leaped over fallen parts of the upper floors as he hurried through the small hallways.

He hadn't seen the two SHIELD agents run out of the room where they had been taking care of him. He had never let them outside of the small room. They were trapped with no way to escape. The three Asgardians emerged from the building. The building shook as it slowly crumbled apart. Thor looked among the crowd of agents that were now outside the room. He saw Tony, Odin, and Frigga, but... Where was Loki?

Thor cast a look over back towards the building to see a flash of black hair turning around a corner. Thor's heart plummeted in his chest. That couldn't be... His panicked eyes searched the crowd for any figure resembling his adoptive brother, but he realized that Loki wasn't among them. He turned back to the building and yelled, "Loki!"

* * *

**Author's Note: I got an overwhelmingly positive reception to the idea of a sequel, so it's going to happen! ^^ I already have an idea, so I just need to write out the plot! Thank you all so much for your comments! **

**Thank you for all the well wishes! I'm not any better yet, but I hope to be quickly improved! I really appreciate your thoughts!**

** Guest: You made me laugh. I could just imagine Thor saying that. ^^**


	34. I Cannot Verbalize

My mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize  
Tell me why we live like this  
Keep me safe inside your arms like towers  
Tower over me  
**-We Are Broken by Paramore**

The sound of Thor's voice faintly made its way to his ears. Loki bit his lip and continued on, away from his brother. He couldn't afford to be distracted now, not with the building threatening to crumble as it did. His mind was too occupied to be thinking about Thor at the moment. Loki shoved Thor into the back of his mind and focused on the task at hand.

His black hair streamed messily behind him as he tore down the hallways. The two nurses that had been attending to him had never left the room. He had not seen them come out of the building after him, nor did he see them running in the hallways. He could only assume that something had happened to delay them. He faintly recalled kicking a rolling bed against them to delay their pursuit. His heart clenched. What if the bed had trapped them somehow? Unless he hurried, their deaths would be on his hands.

He pressed his palm against his forehead. A rhythmic pounding in his head distracted him as he weaved in and out of the fallen rubble. He had never been particularly athletic. If he was unfit in the best of circumstances, that much more could be said when he was post-coma with low magic levels. He felt like destroying something. Midgardians had their stress balls after all.

Dotted grey and black lines danced around his vision. He stumbled into a fallen pillar, mumbling out angry profanities. It was now that he wished that he had taken the time to learn more medicinal spells. The little ones hadn't seemed that important, and healing brain trauma had been ever so much more interesting. But now that he had a migraine, he sorely regretted his earlier choices.

A familiar gaping hole reminded him of his purpose. He bolted through the opening and into the rotunda. Loki squinted as he tried to remember which room he had come out of. He had exited the room, but hadn't been conscious when he had been brought into it. The building shook, and Loki made his choice. He ran across the room and yanked open one of the doors.

The lights were out, and Loki almost thought he had made the wrong choice. That was when he heard a sound. It was a grating sound, like nails against a chalkboard. He's green eyes searched the room when he saw the two SHIELD agents. The bed he had rolled against them was still locking them against the wall. Loki noticed the fallen block that had snapped the bed's locks into gear.

The male nurse was slumped against the wall. The female agent was trying to nudge him awake, but couldn't move more than her arm. Her right eye was shut as blood trailed over it. When the door opened, she moved to ask for help, but halted seeing Loki in the doorway. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Loki flicked his fingers at the wheel lock. The red tab shot up, releasing the wheels.

The woman shoved the bed away, causing her partner to fall to the ground. "What do you think you're doing here?" She demanded as she hefted the man over her shoulder. Loki gave no reply as the building gave another shudder. There was no way they would make it out in time if they went the same way as he had come. "Hey, answer me!" Loki ignored her and grabbed her by the shoulder, dragging her to the ground.

The woman yelped in surprise as Loki covered them in a blue shield. The doorframe finally gave in, caving in the only exit. Splinters went flying, bouncing off of the shield and down onto the ground. The room was dark save for a small window in the back of the room. "Listen to me, woman." Loki forced the agent to look at him. "I'm going to create an opening in the back wall. You have to get out quickly since it will probably make the building finally collapse. Do you understand?"

The lady nodded blankly, and Loki shoved her over towards the wall. "Then move already!" He growled. A fuzzy gray wall clouded his left eye so he was only able to see half of the woman's face. Loki put a hand to his forehead and shook his head to clear away the fogginess. When he saw the woman was near enough to the wall, he lifted a hand above his head.

Something in the woman snapped, and she looked back to where Loki was and asked, "Wait, what about you?"

Loki shook his head. "I can't guarantee your safety if I go." A deep blue swirled around his palm before shooting out towards the crumbling wall. "SO GO!"

His shout turned into a cough as another stab of pain rushed at his head. He still didn't have enough energy to be casting spells like that, especially explosive spells. He dropped down onto one knee, but forced himself to lookup. Loki raised his hands up above him, and a blue layer of energy crawled over the roof, preventing its collapse.

His forehead creased and his breathing quickened as he tried to shake away the sudden nausea. A rumble above him told him that the building about to go down. Loki looked up to see the two agents escaping the rubble, and he gave a weak smile. The woman had dropped her companion and was running back towards him. He almost thought that she'd reach him, but a jolting pain struck him in the chest. The spell broke, and the roof tumbled down on top of him.

**Author's Note: I'm so so sorry I didn't update on Tuesday! ;-; I have a debate round robin this Saturday, so I've been flailing around trying to get everything done. Needless to say, not much has been done despite my panic. Oops. Well, thanks for being patient with me! XD**


	35. Feel For You

There's nothing left to prove  
There's nothing I won't do  
There's nothing like the pain  
I feel for you  
**-Not Enough by Our Lady Peace**

Thor stepped forward to run after Loki, but a firm hand stopped him. Loki disappeared into the building, and Thor yelled after him. Odin's hand constricted around his shoulder, and Thor hung his head. It was hopeless to try and escape Odin's hand, and it was even more hopeless finding out where Loki had gone in the building.

The next minutes passed achingly slowly. Every moment, Thor waited to hear a sound signaling Loki's return. Every moment, he heard nothing. He paced around the entrance, anxiously looking into the empty cavern. Not much time was left before the building fell apart. All of the agents inside of the building had been evacuated along with their patients. All that was left was for Loki to return.

That was when the wall exploded. Debris flew as the energy smashed into the wall, sending fragments across the pavement. A looming figure raced out of the gap that was formed. Thor's blue eyes scanned through the dust before falling. The figure that escaped was not Loki.

The agent hauled her partner out of the building, making her way towards the crowd. "There is someone still in there!" The woman slid her partner to the ground. She breathed heavily as she looked up at them. The agents stood still for a moment before sprinting into action. One called for a team to enter the building, but Thor was already running. Someone was in there. Someone that had the power to blow open the wall like that. It could only be Loki.

In the darkness of the building, Thor could just see the outline of a figure. Thor opened his mouth to shout, but couldn't speak as the person fell down to the ground. As the figure fell, the building finally caved in. A dust cloud rushed away from the building, catching Thor. The lightning god hacked as dirt made its way into his lungs. He lifted an arm to cover his face before the dust cleared, leaving a jumble of stone and brick.

"Loki?" Thor stared at the rubble before yelling, "LOKI!" His legs dragged him towards the building, but his mind felt blank. Why had his brother not escaped the building like the agents had? Why was his brother always like this? Thor felt as if he could never understand Loki, no matter how much he tried. His fingers strained as he lifted up some of the newly fallen rock. He hefted the blocks off to the side as he began digging through the debris.

Odin towered over the crowd of smaller people, watching his son shove away the mess of a building. In his mind's eye, he could still see Loki. Perhaps his son did not see, but Odin could see Loki. As Loki held up the building, he had given one last look to the outside world. But it was the look in Loki's eyes that Odin did not expect. Odin saw... relief.

Why did Loki feel relief? Odin did not understand. Loki was at the very ends of his strength. He was about to be crushed by tons upon tons of rock. There was no reason for Loki to feel that sort of relief. It wasn't the sort of relief that Odin saw when people thought their life was end. Loki's eyes didn't display relief that his work was finally over. His eyes almost made him look... glad.

Odin looked at the woman who had escaped the building. After depositing her partner, she had returned to help Thor shifty away the debris. Was Loki glad that she and her partner had escaped? That wasn't consistent though. His brow furrowed as he recalled everything that had happened within the past two years. Loki had tried to kill Thor, he had killed Laufey, and had caused the death of hundreds upon hundreds of Midgardians. Feeling relief at the survival of two SHIELD agents wasn't consistent with anything that Loki had done in the past.

A twinge of sadness entered his heart. No, absolutes like _anything that Loki had done in the past_ were not true. A scene played out before him, and his heart shook.

"_Father! Father, are you all right?" Loki peered over the white sheets worriedly, his green eyes shining. Odin turned his head to see Loki's sad eyes. He chuckled warmly before lifting a hand up to stroke Loki's black hair. _

"_I am all right, son. I am just tired. Very, very tired." Odin's eyes glazed slightly. He felt himself being dragged into the Odinsleep once more, but pulled himself to awareness for a few more moments. _

"_Are you sure? Can I get you anything, father? I do not want to see you ill like this..." The little boy trailed off and stared down at the ground shyly. He shifted from foot to foot before looking up again. Odin smiled softly before shaking his head. _

"_No... I think I will be all right. Run along now, Loki. I am sure your brother is looking for you," Odin said kindly._

"_But-" Loki protested. _

"_Go," Odin's voice had a slight sternness to it that seemed to get the message through. Loki bobbed his head up and down before walking away, and Odin fell into his slumber. _

"Loki..." Odin's voice trailed off. He let Gungnir drop to the ground and took a step forward towards the building. He was stopped by Frigga, who swiftly moved before him.

"What do you think you are about to do?" Frigga spread her hands out to her sides, effectively blocking Odin from proceeding. SHIELD agents stopped to watch the two Asgardians. Odin glanced over to the crowd before looking back at Frigga. "I will not let you hurt, Loki any further," Frigga repeated, shifting her feet on the ground.

A link of her armor reflected the dim street lighting as Odin stood in silence. A few moments later, he gave a soft chuckle. "Is that not obvious, Frigga?" The woman tensed but was unprepared for what Odin said next, "I am going to help a foolish lost child." Odin shook his head slightly before whispering so softly that only he could hear, "I am going to help my son."

**Author's Note: The story will be finished next week! ^^ Just thought I should let you all know... I apologize for my late and slightly sporadic updates. I hope you will all enjoy the story until the very end! **


	36. Always By My Side

That day, deep in your eyes, I saw the loneliness  
Are the two of us really alike?  
If I'd realized it, you were always by my side  
**-Myself by Changing My Life**

Frigga's face contorted in confusion. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder before looking back at Odin. "He is only lost because you have made him so. But tell me, for what reason have you changed your mind?" Her body stayed tense. She knew that she ought not to test Odin especially since he seemed to have finally agreed that Loki was not a threat. It was strange to her though. Odin was as stubborn as a mule, but he had changed his mind? She was suspicious, and rightfully so.

Odin looked at his wife before letting out a sigh. "There was a reason why I handed off the mantle of Asgard to Thor in recent years. My memory must be deteriorating far faster than I expected if I cannot recall simple memories." Odin looked up into the cloudy sky woefully. When was the last time he had stopped from his duties to spend time with those close to him? He had chased Thor away from his side as more humans were born into the world. He didn't have the time that he had centuries ago when the population was a less than a seventh of what it was now. Had he chased Loki away before even then?

He wracked his mind as he tried to remember the last time he was alone with Loki. The last moment he remembered was centuries and centuries past. It was so far back that he couldn't even give it a date. Loki, Odin had neglected him. Odin closed his eye as he thought. What right did he have to expect Loki to stay exactly the same as he had been while Odin continued to ignore him? A parent's influence was supposed to shape and mold the hearts of their child. What an ill influence he had given Loki. "Husband?"

Odin opened his eye to look over to Frigga with a melancholy look. "I was the one who said that Loki had chosen this path on his own, was I not?" Odin gave a sad chuckle and shook his head. "Loki did not choose this of his own volition. I drove him to it." Frigga opened her mouth to protest, but Odin raised his hand. "I did. Loki would never have done this if I had not ignored him so. There is no such thing as being born absolutely evil."

"What kind of a father, an example, am I if I was so blinded? I reprimanded Thor for making an enemy of the Jotun, but I cannot even control myself. I have done Loki a great wrong. I have made him out to be something he is not, and I have made him to be something he never wanted to be. I must repair what I have done," Odin said to Frigga.

Frigga stared back at him and asked, "Are you doing this to make yourself feel good about helping him or is it because you want to help him in earnest?" Her arms lowered slightly, and she took a step backwards. People funneled around the two, running over to help at the building. Odin looked at them as they passed.

"It is for him that I do this. No small works such as these would even begin to repair the damage that I have done." Frigga dropped her arms back to her side and gave a relieved smile to her husband. The sheeted armor stripped away, revealing her glowing white gown. As the soft material settled onto the ground, Frigga took a deep breath before walking up to her husband. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I am glad that you are back," she whispered into his ear. Odin smiled softly and stroked the back of her hair.

"I am glad to be back. Now let us hurry. Our son needs us." Frigga pulled away and nodded. She swept off towards the debris with Odin hot on her heels.

**Author's Note: I wanted to use this chapter to explain how Odin's mind changed. I know for some of you it might have come off as a little bit quick, so I wanted to explain it further. ^^ Thank you all so much for your support during this story! It really excites me when I see how much you guys enjoy it. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story to the very end! **

**Next chapter: Loki awakens to see Odin. What will Loki now that Odin has repented? **


	37. You're Being Human

It's you who are crying, it's you who are lonely  
You're right, you're being human  
Tears I've shed will say this  
It's not a lie that it's so beautiful, even like this; thank you for our true selves  
**-My Song by Girls Dead Monster**

Odin hefted a large chunk of rock out of the way, revealing the Asgardian hidden beneath it. Blood pooled beneath his head, but the indentation on his skull was already beginning to heal. Thor scooped up his brother, who was awkwardly lying on the ground, and moved to lean him against the wall. He carefully propped Loki up against the wall and swept his hair to the side. "Loki?"

Frigga gently placed her hand on Thor's shoulder and pulled him back slightly. "When he wakes, you should not be so close to his face as to scare him." Thor nodded and pulled back a bit. Frigga looked over to where the SHIELD agents were standing at the opening of the building and said, "He will be fine. Will you leave us for a moment?" The female nurse nodded and began herding the other SHIELD agents away. A few minutes passed before Loki's eyes fluttered open.

He blinked a few times to clear the dark cloud from his mind. The world slowly came back into focus, and Loki looked at the faces crowded around him. Thor, that was no surprise, the man was incessantly by his side. Frigga, that was right, Frigga had been down on Midgard as well. Then it clicked in his brain, if Frigga was here then that meant... The events of the past few hours ran back into his brain and he looked over towards the final person, Odin.

His eyes widened before he slid back into his carefully masked face. "Will you all stop staring at me like that? It irritates me," he said coldly, not used to the attention he was garnering.

"Loki," Loki held back a flinch at Odin's voice. "will you forgive me for what I have done?" Loki's head whipped up to stare at Odin with incredulous eyes. "I know I do not deserve your forgiveness, especially since I have done so much to hurt you. I was blinded by my own stubbornness, and I could not see what was before my very eyes. For that, I apologize with all of my heart."

Loki looked away from Odin and down towards the ground. How could he really believe that Odin had changed? He longed for Odin to be by his side once more, but now it just seemed like such an alien concept. Could Odin's apology really be or was it just another lie? His face read that he was telling the truth, but what if he had just learned his lesson from when Loki had critiqued him last.

"I shall wait for however long you want me to. I know that it will take time for you to forgive me, but I shall wait until you are ready." Odin put his hand on Loki's shoulder and squeezed it slightly. Odin noticed Loki shake slightly and looked away. He caught the gaze of Frigga and Thor and nodded his head away. The two got the message and walked away from the father and son in the building. Odin heard the soft sounds of Loki's tears. If there was anything he could give his son now, it would be the dignity of allowing him to cry in silence.

"Oh, get out of the way. Can't you see that we're trying to walk here?" An annoyed voice cut through the melancholy silence.

"Be quiet. You're going to hurt yourself, and this time, I won't help you," a female voice said.

"Aww, you'll always be there to help me, right Nat?" Clint smiled cheekily at Natasha, who was helping him to limp towards the building. His arm was around her neck, and she was balancing his weight while they moved. Clint held his other hand tightly against his chest where Thor could see some bloodstained bandages.

"Not if you keep talking, I won't. Someone else can deal with you, or better yet, everyone will just avoid you." Natasha blew a lock of hair out of her face as they finally made it to the front of the crowd. When they reached the front, she gave a sigh. "Look at them. They're all happy and lovey-dovey now. So what did we get beaten to a bloody pulp for anyways?"

"Don't complain, Nat. You're not the one that is a bloody pulp here," Clint quipped with a slightly wince as he laughed at his own joke.

"Keep quiet, you two," Tony sauntered up to the two of them. He had already gotten out of his Iron Man suit, and he looked in much better condition than his two companions. "Can't you see that they're having a family moment?" Clint and Natasha fell silent as they watched Tony run a hand through his hair. They quietly heard Tony mumble under his breath, "They're lucky that they have the chance to ever make up again."

"Excuse me. Pardon me, ma'am. I'm sorry!" Tony straightened up and turned around to see Steve and Bruce come barreling through the crowd. "Sorry that we're late. We had to make sure all the people in the damaged buildings were all right. What did we miss?" Steve looked around hurriedly before seeing Loki and Odin in the building. "Hey, are those two-?"

"Yeah," Tony replied, "They'll be fine now." He crossed his arms and gave a shrug. "Took them long enough though. I never thought that Asgardians were so finicky though. Why did all the power have to go to the beings most likely to throw a temper tantrum anyways?"

Bruce shook his head and said, "Well, I'm glad that everything seems to be all right now."

Clint gawked and said, "Are you joking? I'm the one that is hurt here! Don't say that 'everything is all right'!"

**Author's Note: Next chapter is the epilogue! ^^ I'm trying to wrap everything back up, so I hope you enjoy it!**


	38. I Need Rescuing

I keep holding my chains  
No longer bound but here I stay  
I scream, Father please, I need rescuing  
I need You and You alone  
**-Freedom by Run Kid Run**

"These past few days have been... pleasant," Loki acquiesced, glancing over towards Odin. The large man stood beside him with Gungnir planted firmly between his feet. A subtle breeze blew, and Loki looked back over the city. The night lights glimmered in the darkness as they stood on the rooftop. A faint rainbow swirled above in the sky, and Loki leaned back against the handrailing.

"Are you sure you would not like me to stay longer?" Odin asked.

Loki shook his head and said, "No. You are a busy man. I have already deprived Asgard of your presence long enough. I can always visit you anyways. Is that not true?" Odin gave a gruff laugh. Loki's lips twitched with a hint of a smile. Loki was glad that the darkness hid that smile.

"Of course you can, my son." Odin grasped Loki's shoulder and shook it slightly. "I will look forward to your presence." Odin let go of Loki and walked farther out into the center of the rooftop. A mechanical whirring was heard in the sky as Odin looked back towards Loki. "Goodbye, Loki."

Loki flipped his hand behind him in a silent dismissal. As the Bifrost descended down, snagging Odin in its grip, Loki silently whispered, "Why do goodbyes have to be good anyways?" A flash of light filled the rooftop, and when Loki turned away from the railing, Odin was gone.

Loki ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. Finally, everything was over. For now. Nothing would ever really be over since the repercussions and memories would stay forever. Loki dug his hands in his pockets and walked towards the staircase. He yanked open the door and entered the lit hallways. His shoes clicked against the floor as he walked.

Sure, he had forgiven Odin for the most part, but things weren't the same as they used to be. He was glad to have Odin back and acting kind to him once more, but it was strange. He just couldn't feel comfortable around the man anymore. It was if Odin was a time bomb just waiting to go off. One moment, everything was fine. A few days later, one could find himself being chased around the nine worlds by an angry allfather. It all felt so precarious right now.

"Just the man I wanted to see!" A hand grabbed onto Loki and yanked him towards the elevator. Loki mumbled angry words under his breath and jerked his arm out of the hold.

"What do you want, Stark?" Loki demanded to the peppy billionaire. Tony had pressed the down button on the elevator and was leaning on the wall beside the doors. Tony's face looked scrunched as if he was holding back a smile. It annoyed Loki.

"Someone to eat with of course. If I'm eating with someone, then no one will try to join me since they'll think I'm occupied," Tony said with a proud nod. Loki grimaced.

"So I am simply a chairholder for you, Stark?" Loki asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Nope, though I'm sure you would make a very good one. I wanted to talk to you as well." Tony tilted his head to the side before saying, "You know, about everything that has happened. It's better if you just get it all out." Tony held up his hand to stop Loki's protests, "Trust me. I know what I'm talking about." The elevator binged beside him and the doors opened up. The two walked inside of the elevator and stood in silence as it descended.

After the elevator landed, they exited Stark Towers, and Tony began directing them around Manhattan. "Come on, this way. There's a store I want you to see. It's really good!" Loki dubiously followed the man until they stood outside a small restaurant. On the roof overhead was a large sign that said: Shawarma Palace.

"You must be joking, Stark. This place looks entirely unsanitary, and the name is atrocious. Why should I enter in this pigsty?" Loki complained, skeptically examining the insides of the store. It was near empty, and Loki could have sworn he saw something inhuman crawling across the ground.

"It's good just because no one is in here! And come on, it isn't that bad. I've eaten in here many times before, and I'm the picture of health! So come on in!" Tony pushed the door open, and a little bell rang to signal their arrival. Loki shook his head and followed Tony into the store. They took a seat down at one of the side booths.

After they ordered, Tony leaned his head down on the wooden table. "I'm a jealous of you, you know, just a bit." Loki leaned back against the table and nodded for Tony to continue. "Your father figure is still here for you. You can argue with him, and it turns bad in so many ways, but you can still talk to him. You can talk to him, forgive him." Tony twirled the water glass that had been set down on his table. "There are some of us that would do a lot to have that opportunity. But," Tony dropped the glass back on the table, "we'll never get it."

"Hmph." Loki shook his head in aggravation, "Midgardians are such silly creatures. Always thinking of what they do not have and spending their time being jealous of others." Tony opened his mouth to protest, but Loki cut him off. "Who ever said that I forgave him anyways? The definition of forgive is to give up resentment. I certainly have not done that yet. This is what is different between our two races. Midgardians actually have the heart to forgive people."

Tony blinked and looked down at the table. "Why did you let him go then? I bet he would have stayed if you asked him to." Loki chuckled and shook his head.

"He offered to stay, but I turned him down. It would have served no purpose for him to stay. There are others that need him more than I right now. That, and time will only heal the hurt. If I see him more now, I might even grow to hate him more." Loki rapped his fingers on the table. "There is nothing more annoying that seeing someone perfectly happy because they think they are forgiven when you still resent them for what they have done."

Tony quieted for a moment before asking, "Are you ever going to see him again? Or are you ever going to return to Asgard for that matter?" Loki's fingers stopped moving almost instantly. They clenched into a fist, and Tony instantly regretted the question.

"Unless I am required to, no, I am not planning on returning for a long time yet." Loki looked down at the plate in front of him before pushing it to the side. "Even if I have changed Odin's mind, I have not changed the mind of Asgard. They will always question the allfather's choices regarding me. They might call it "softness" or a "weakness", but they will not believe what Odin has said regarding me. They will just think he has turned a blind eye to my faults."

"Odin loathed me for the deaths I have caused. The other Asgardians hate me because I am a frost giant. I am a treacherous species that is not worthy to wander their "sacred halls". Returning to Asgard would not be good for anyone, much less me. Some things will never change. The prejudice has lasted for milenniums already. I cannot expect anything to change just because I have been born."

"You may think I am lucky, Stark," Loki said as he looked dubiously into the bottled drink Tony had got him, "but I think you are more lucky than you realize." Tony tilted his head to the side in confusion and Loki sighed. The black haired man pushed himself up from the table and said, "Midgardians do not have very long to live. They do not have very long to hold grudges against one another and rarely wish to hold those grudges unto death, so they try to make amends."

Loki looked down at Tony before shaking his heads, "They make amends quickly and enjoy the rest of the life that they have left. Asgardians do not die so quickly, and are perfectly willing to hold onto a grudge for centuries. There is no reason they have to deal with their hatred right away like Midgardians do." Loki turned away from the table with a sweep of his cloak. "That is why you are lucky. Do not forget it, Stark." And with that, Loki swept out of the building.

**Author's Note: And with that, Words Like Thor's is finally over! –throws around confetti- I hope you have enjoyed the story as much as I have. It's been a long journey, but it's not quite over yet! As promised in previous chapters, a sequel will appear soon. I plan to begin writing it soon, but it will not be published until later in December. I will be resuming by Tuesday and Thursday update schedule again once that happens. In fact, I just picked a date. The first chapter of the new story will be published on December 25****th****! **

**I think I like posting story updates on holidays... I will post a chapter update on this story to let you all know when it is released. **

**Also, if you have any questions regarding this story or the sequel, just PM me. I love hearing feedback about my writing! If you felt like anything took too long to go through or was rushed, then just tell me! I'll work on it in the future. Once again, thank you for reading, and I hope to see you all soon!**


	39. Sequel Is Up!

**Author's Note: The sequel to Words Like Thor's is up! The new story is called ****_Breaking the Ice_****. I really hope you enjoy it!**

**Summary: Odin has returned to Asgard, and it almost seems that everything is normal. Almost. Soon after the Odin incident, the Avengers notice that something is wrong with Loki. Despite their attempts to get him to tell, Loki will not reveal what is going on inside his mind. Will the Avengers be able to defeat the darkness that threatens to overtake Loki?**


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